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As opposed to a prescriptive-based design, a performance-based fire-protection system design allows the system planner the flexibility in choosing specific method, materials and design tools to achieve a preset goal. A different approach in fire protection and a powerful addition to existing method, the system has been around for many years, and has gone through numerous improvements. Despite its popularity in the building industry, it has not been introduced to the mining industry yet. As mines get deeper, increases in size and complication, mine fire safety system will also become increasingly challenging, a new and proven system should be able to great potential to eradicate many of the problems that are either unsolvable or cost-prohibitive with the traditional method. With increasing globalization and international exchange with other major mining countries a common language/practice also make the performance-based design method a desirable feature in mine fire safety system. This paper will first define a performance-based system, step-by-step design methods, likely impacts on fire-protection practices and possible challenges in implementing the system in US underground mines.

Jan 1, 2011

By D. R. Wilburn

This summary of international mineral exploration activities for the year 2005 draws upon available information from literature, industry and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) specialists. It provides data on exploration budgets by global region and mineral commodity and identifies significant mineral discoveries and exploration target areas. It also discusses government programs affecting the mineral exploration industry and presents analysis of the mineral industry based on these data. Two types of information are reported and analyzed in this annual review of international exploration for the year 2005. They include budgetary statistics provided by Metals Economics Group (MEG) and information on regional and site-specific exploration activities in 2005 compiled by the USGS.

Jan 1, 2006

By M. C. Roberts

As nations advance through various stages of economic development, the patterns of demand for minerals change. For example, as a nation develops from a subsistence economy through industrialization and into a service based economy, the use of minerals is at first low, then grows rapidly, and finally stabilizes. The past trends in the use of agricultural minerals by the currently advanced nations provide a pattern that the world as a whole may follow as it progresses through the stages of economic development. Future needs for agricultural minerals are estimated using this approach.

Jan 1, 2001

By D. R. Hack

Increased consumption of concrete in the Pacific Northwest has pushed aggregate resource development pressure from urban areas west of the Cascade Range to rural areas east of the Cascades. Some recent development has focused on barge and rail accessible off-reservation Indian allotments that are exempt from state and county regulations. These lands have their own unique set of challenges, especially when Federal and Tribal governments have conflicting goals and attitudes pertaining to resource development. This paper discusses issues of leasing, reclamation, Federal vs. Tribal authority, cultural resources, and the history of allotment.

Jan 1, 2002

By Julian Prada

Tunneling requirements are presenting designers with greater challenges. The design and construction of the 2000-ft long unidirectional twin highway tunnels for the approach to one of two bridges of the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges (LSIORB) Project is no exception. Excavation under low cover, beneath an historic site, with each tunnel of 70-feet wide and 50-feet high dimensions will set precedents for US highway tunnel excavation size. To investigate ground conditions to supplement final design of the highway tunnels, an exploratory tunnel excavated through karstic limestone and shale will be located within the confines of the proposed final alignment. With the LSIORB Project, Jefferson County, Kentucky and Clark County, Indiana will have improved cross-river mobility between them. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) are developing the LSIORB Project jointly, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Section 4, one of six sections, as shown in Figure 1 is the East End Kentucky Approach and Connections to I-265. Key elements of Section 4 are the twin three-lane highway tunnels under the historic Drumanard Estate. The property is located on the north side of US Highway 42 (US 42) at the intersection with the Gene Snyder Freeway (also KY841) as shown in Figure 2. One aspect of the project consists of the excavation of an Exploratory Tunnel along the southbound alignment tunnel. At the time of preparation of this paper, KYTC has not awarded the Exploratory Tunnel Contract. This paper will focus on the planned geotechnical investigation program that will occur during excavation of the exploratory tunnel and how the design of the twin highway tunnels will incorporate the findings to achieve an innovative and efficient configuration.

Jan 1, 2008

By Steve Kral

After years of cutbacks, closures and layoffs, the mining industry is beginning to expand again. Metals prices are up and so is investor interest and confidence in the industry. Gold prices began to slowly move up in January2003 and finally cracked the $12.86/g ($400/oz) mark in early December. Silver, too, is up, as is copper. So the mining industry is feeling good about itself again and many companies are expanding existing mines and developing new ones. One side benefit to mining’s improved outlook is that companies are beginning to send more of their employees to industry conferences. Such was the case at the109th Northwest Mining Association meeting in Spokane, WA. The meeting was held in early December and attracted 1,100 attendees and 84 exhibiting companies. That is up from 2002’s attendance of about 900 people and 65 exhibitors. The theme was “A Partnership into the Future.”

Jan 1, 2004

The only significant iron ore deposit in Hungary could be found in Rudabánya. The mine was closed in 1986. The area of Rudabánya was always the home of heavy mining activity. In former times, mainly silver and other non -ferrous metals were excavated.

Jan 1, 2011

By S. Jayson Ripke, Shane Hoff

Cleveland-Cliffs’ Northshore Mining Company operates a magnetic iron ore (taconite) concentrator and pelletizer in Silver Bay, MN. These are two recent cost reduction projects: 1. Rougher Magnetic Separators were upgraded throughout the concentrator; throughput and recovery were simultaneously improved. 2. Green Ball Roll Screens on one agglomeration circuit were upgraded from 3.5-inch to 2.5-inch rolls. Throughput improved by 24% from 62 to 77 LTPH. Green ball size distribution improved as an added benefit.

Jan 1, 2005

By B. Slaker

The ability to detect and quantify ground movements in underground mine workings is of the utmost importance to the safety of miners and continuity of operations. Rib sloughage is one of the most common forms of underground deformations. Remote sensing techniques, such as laser scanning, can be used to quantify this rib sloughage, by recording precise, time-lapse point clouds of mine workings. In order to determine sloughage volumes and locations, a total of 11 laser scans were performed 41 days apart at a working section of an underground limestone mine. During this period, significant sloughing and scaling occurred, allowing for differentiation between the initial and final point clouds.

Feb 27, 2013

By M. Fan

Dry coal separation technology has particular advantages in the applications in arid and cold regions, or low rank coal separation. The hazardous pollutants in low rank coals can not be efficiently removed by conventional wet coal separation processes because a considerable amount of porose and easily friable low rank coals suffer serious particle size degradation problems in water. In this paper, a novel dry coal separation method with a vibrated air-fluidized bed of magnetic fly ash and magnetite is put forward for dry coal beneficiation. The magnetic fly ash used in this study was derived from fly ash obtained as a byproduct of coal combustion. The vibration?s effect on the uniformity and stability of a magnetic fly ash air-fluidized bed was studied. The 6×0.5 mm dry coal separation results with a vibrated air-fluidized bed of magnetic fly ash and magnetite showed that the probable error E value of separation is 0.06-0.08 t/m3.

Jan 1, 2009

By D. S. Saxena, Jack K. Tuttle

Lack of understanding of useful applications of explosives on construction work stem primarily from the fact that explosion is commonly associated with destruction. On rock excavation and other construction works a certain quantity of explosive is harnessed to perform useful work at the source e.g. blasts to disintegrate rock. Development in rock blasting techniques, including the use of multiple-row blasting with short delay ignition, have made it impossible to excavate rocks close to or below buildings even in closely built-up areas. To permit the use of explosives on construction projects, in ways that will not damage existing structures, guidelines have been developed from careful measurements of intensity of ground vibrations. Accurate electronic instruments are now available for doing this. PLANNING AND CONTROL Blasting operations must be carefully planned and carried out to avoid discomfort to persons or damage to property. This increase in the use of rock blasting in city areas alone has led to a number of problems due to ground vibrations, air shock waves, and the psychological effect of noise. While the latter seldom if ever causes damage, it does create irritation and discomfort to persons living or working near the blasting sites. A result of this is a steady increase in the number of complaints in respect of damage to houses and other premises. Many such complaints are genuine and damage may undoubtedly be caused when incorrect blasting techniques are used.

Jan 1, 1997

By Peter Klaver

Deep tunnels have been used for decades for the temporary storage of large volumes of urban runoff, both storm water and combined sewer overflow (CSO). Tunnels are attractive because they reduce surface disruption and do double duty as storage and conveyance systems, collecting overflows from multiple locations and transporting them for treatment to various facilities. Like any hydraulic system, however, there are dynamic effects that must be fully understood during the design phase so that the final constructed product does not have unintended negative consequences. Preliminary sizing of storage tunnels is typically based on the total volume required. For example, if studies have determined that a volume of 56.8 ML (15 million gal) will provide the intended level of control, then that figure can be used, along with a preliminary idea of the desired tunnel length, to compute the required diameter. Of course, filling a long tube with water from various points along the way is not at all the same as pouring water into a bucket, and these dynamic effects require additional attention from design engineers. The rapid filling of storage tunnels can lead to the formation of bores, which are essentially moving walls of water. An open channel bore can build in height until it reaches the crown of the tunnel, at which point it becomes a pipe-filling bore. Figure 1 depicts both kinds of bores moving upwards in a rapidly filling tunnel. Bores can strike the ends of tun-nels with tremendous force, driving water and entrained air upwards into dropshafts and creating strong pressure surges in portions of the tunnel that are already filled. If the hydraulic surges are high enough to reach grade, they can cause overflows and/or damage structures at the surface. Trapped air pockets can occur through several phenomena, including the reflection of bores off dropshaft structures and the occurrence of ?premature pressurization.? The latter refers to the situation where the inflow to a tunnel is increasing more rapidly than the tunnel can convey it, such that the pipe becomes surcharged at an upstream point while points downstream are still flowing as an open channel. These air pockets are a great nuisance as they migrate toward points in the tunnel where they can rise to the surface, which are often shafts that are already filled with water (Fig. 2). The ?geyersing? that results can be hazardous and costly.

Jan 3, 2010

By A. K. Majumder

Particle motion in fluids is a subject of considerable practical importance to engineers working in fields such as hydraulics, river mechanics, chemical engineering and mineral processing. Many mathematical models have been proposed to predict the terminal settling velocities of particles in a fluid medium. The selection of an appropriate mathematical model has, therefore, become a challenging task for practicing engineers. This paper reports on an attempt to identify some of the useful models found in the literature for predicting particle-settling velocities in a fluid under free- and hindered-settling conditions. From this study, it was concluded that there is no well-accepted model validated by experimental data available for predicting particle hindered-settling velocities in a suspension of polydisperse and polydens particles. Collective efforts should, therefore, be made towards developing a hindered-settling model, as this is an absolute prerequisite for many model structures in mineral processing and other engineering disciplines.

Jan 1, 2007

By F. W. DeVries, O. B. Mathre

Addition of Kastone® peroxygen compound and formaldehyde to cyanide gold extraction process effluents, containing at least 5 mg soluble copper per liter, will oxidize acid-dissociable cyanide to levels less than 0.2 mg per liter, without appreciable oxidation of thiocyanate. Most of the copper precipitates and is removed by filtration of the treated solutions. The treatment can be completed in less than 2 hours when the excess of hydrogen peroxide over the cyanide is about 75-100 mg per liter. The excess hydrogen peroxide destroys residual formaldehyde and then is catalytically decomposed by the copper-containing solids that separate, so it will not interfere with subsequent operation. A pilot plant using this technology has been operated for more than four months at rates from 1-2 gpm. Clear, filtered effluent containing less than 0.2 mg acid-dissociable cyanide per liter has been produced.

Jan 1, 1981

By William A. Macaitis, Frank E. Dalton, Leo R. DiVita

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago's Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) is a multi-purpose urban public works project with a total cost of $3.7 billion. Currently 51 miles of TARP tunnels are completed and operational and 34 miles are under construction. The excavated TARP tunnels have been constructed in rock utilizing 29 tunnel boring machines, ranging in size from 6.5 to 35.3 feet in diameter.

Jan 1, 1993

By M. N. Chandraprabha

This paper discusses the role of mineral-adapted acidiphilic microorganism Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans on the beneficiation of arsenopyrite containing multisulfides (pyrite and chalcopyrite). Adaptation to minerals altered the surface properties of the microorganism. Bacterial adaptation to arsenopyrite and controlled bacterial adhesion to mineral surfaces lead to selectivity in arsenopyrite separation. Bioremoval of arsenic ions (both arsenite and arsenate ions) by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is also discussed.

Jan 1, 2009

By Ed Cope

The newly discovered South Arturo deposit is a Carlin-type, breccia-hosted, oxide gold deposit located on the Dee Mine property at the north end of the Carlin Trend in Nevada. The Dee Gold Mine was discovered in 1981 by Dee Delamar, a Cordex geologist. The property was put into production by Rayrock Mines in 1984. During its 16-year mine life, the Dee Mine produced about 18.6 t (600,000 oz) of gold from oxide ore at an average production rate of about 1.24 to 1.55 t/a (40,000 to 50,000 oz/year). In October 1997, Bar-rick Gold Exploration acquired the right to earn a 60-percent interest in the Dee property from Dee Gold Mines through an exploration farm-out agreement. Barrick Gold Exploration began exploration activities on the property in 1998 and vested in its 60 percent operating interest in 2004. However, the discovery hole at South Arturo was not drilled until July 2005 from atop the historic mine dumps located 300 m (985 ft) south of the Dee openpit. The discovery hole (BD-72) encountered a cumulative 75.6 m (248 ft) of oxide mineralization grading 1.9 g/t (0.055 oz/st) gold beneath 260 m (855 ft) of dump material and post mineral Tertiary Carlin Formation volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Oxidation within the deposit extends to depths greater than 610 m (2,000 ft). The deposit has passed the prefeasibility test and is presently in the feasibility stage. Exploration is on-going to enhance or enlarge the known deposit. The current resource for the deposit stands at 40.4 t (1.3 million oz) of gold. The South Arturo discovery is an example of an historic mining property yielding a new discovery through the diligent application of area selection criteria of the model type and persevering when early results were generally negative. Barrick?s original exploration pro-grams on the property were focused on the discovery of deep, high-grade sulfide deposits that would likely be mined by underground methods. As it turns out, South Arturo is mostly oxidized and will be amenable to mining by openpit methods

Jan 1, 2008

By James A. Madonna

Information gathered while studying geological parameters that govern fine gold deposition in the a1luvial environment can be applied to the technological development and selection of fine gold recovery systems. It is recognized that substantial gold losses occur in the minus 1.5 mn (minus 12 mesh) fraction using conventional sluicing systems. Within the past two decades much attention has been given the design and efficiency of these thick bed concentrators. Studies and comparisons drew information from several foreign and domestic placer operations. These studies concentrated on: 1) the physical and chemical properties of alluvial gold 2) the parameters that control fine gold deposition 3) the geometrical form, components and general working structure of conventional sluicing systems 4) the physical properties which contribute to the overall efficiency of a sluice system 5) the comparison of three major styles of conventional sluicing systems. A dramatic improvement regarding fine gold recovery and water quality was observed when using modern multiple-channel sluicing systems in place of conventional single-channel sluicing systems.

Jan 1, 1988

By Janet A. Flinn, David G. Fileccia

Machine guidance and control systems have become more pervasive in the mining industry in recent years but not always from mining-experienced providers. Dozers, motor graders, scrapers, excavators, shovels, draglines, drills and haul trucks are just a few examples of the types of heavy machinery now equipped with global positioning system (GPS)-aided guidance systems. While equipment manufacturers are offering their own software, many only supply solutions for the machines they produce. The proliferation of GPS equipment manufacturers entering the machine guidance and control arena has resulted in a multitude of makes and models of GPS receivers. Some of these companies also produce their own guidance software. But they usually just specialize in a narrow range of heavy machinery. So customers are forced to use multiple systems and face new challenges in implementation, training, reporting and inter-system communication.

Jan 1, 2006

By Joseph J. Yancik

An exchange of coal mine specialists was made with the USSR under an "Agreement on Exchanges and Cooperation in Scientific, Technical, Cultural, and other Fields for 1972-73," which was signed by President Nixon and Chairman Breshnev on April 11, 1972.* This exchange, in the field of coal mine safety and scientific research in hazard control technologies, was one of 16 technical exchanges covered under the above agreement. A six-man USA delegation visited the Soviet Union from September 9 to September 21, 1973. The delegation visited four deep mines, three in the Donets Basin and one in the Moscow Basin, a State Safety Research Institute, a Mine Research Station and associated Research and Design Institute, two Research and Design mining equipment institutes, and a Trade Union-sponsored health sanitarium. In Moscow, the delegation received a briefing on the Soviet coal industry from First Deputy Minister Vladimir Fedanov. A similar briefing was given to us on the Donets coal basin by the Deputy Minister S. Saratikyanz of the Ukrainian Coal Ministry. Lengthy technical discussions were held with the mines staff and research personnel at the institutes we visited. In addition, we had detailed discussions with key staff members of two combinats "Donetskugol" and "Tulaugol." In all these meetings, principal topics were matters of safety related to hazards associated with face mechanization, coal transport, methane gas control measures, gas outbursts, coal and rock outbursts, fire fighting add control, explosion suppression and control measures and other related hazard factors. There was also much discussion on miner training, miner's attitudes toward safety and accident prevention practices, and preparation and enforcement of safety rules and regulations. The delegation was very warmly received and constant attention was given to our needs. Our numerous questions were answered with candor although quite often in not as much detail as we would have liked.

Jan 1, 1974