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By Eugene N. Cameron, Igor N. Sviatoslavsky, Harrison H. Schmitt, Gerald L. Kulcinski

The recent discovery of large amounts of helium-3, a valuable thermonuclear fuel, on the surface of the Moon has prompted engineers and scientists to examine the commercial attractiveness, thetechnological feasibility, and the environmental features of this important resource. The main feature of this fuel cycle is the low (˜ 1%) fraction of energy released in neutrons. Such low neutron fluxes result in important reductions in the amount of radioactivity, afterheat, and radiation damage in a fusion power plant. On the other hand, the high fraction of energy in charged particles and synchrotron radiation can be directly converted to electricity, resulting in very high efficiencies of electricity production (˜60.70%). It has been shown that there is 10 times more energy in He3 on the Moon than there ever was in fossil fuels (i.e., coal, oil, and gas) on the Earth. The techniques and equipment needed to extract the helium-3 have been examined and internationally acceptable mechanisms for the industrial development of this resource have been outlined. This paper expands on the financial, environmental, and technical aspects of the recovery of helium-3 for use in the 21st century.

Jan 1, 1990

By B. Beatty

Discussion by B. Beatty This is a response to M.J. Hrebar's paper, which tracks in detail the highly productive stripping capabilities of modern large bulldozers at two separate installations. It proves the old adage "economies of scale" and quantifies the advantage of being able to move large loads of dirt over comparatively short haul distances by sliding rather than carrying the load. This discussion examines whether a bulldozer is the most efficient way of using this geotechnical principle. Case 1 - Study eastern US: Contour coal stripping application The energy consumption for the Case 1 mining method (eastern US contour stripping operation) shows the D11 averaged 117 L (31 gal) of diesel fuel per scheduled hour, and produced 333.3 bank m3 (436 bank cu yd) per scheduled hour (0.351 L/m3). Assuming 1 L (0.26 gal) of diesel fuel contains 10.4 kW-hr of energy, the unit expenditure of fuel energy for Case 1 Study was 3.66 kWh/m3. Another way of shifting this material is by using an overburden slusher (OS), as shown in Fig. 1. The OS as shown in Fig. I. The OS is electrically powered and consists of a manned low wall winch (LW ), a remote controlled (radio telemetry) highwall winch (HW) and a hoe. The winches operate to pull the hoe back and forth across the pit. The hoe carries load in the forward direction ahead of a rear mounted blade and returns empty. A spreadsheet (Lotus 123) simulation package, BOSSIM, models the OS operation on a load by load basis over a wide range of pit configurations. The geometry shown in Fig. 2 of the paper was modeled using BOSSI M and the results are summarized in Table1. Table 1 shows a LW with 150 kW (200 hp) and a HW of 120 kW (160 hp) installed power, towing a 15-m3 (19-cu yd) hoe, would accomplish the Case 1 stripping task at about the same scheduled stripping rate (D11=333 m3/hr or 433 cu yd/ hour, OS=342 m3/hr or 447 cu yd/ hour). It was assumed the winches in this equipment have an electromechanical efficiency of 90%. This gives an average electrical energy expenditure rate of 151 kW-hr, and a unit energy expenditure level of 0.44 kWhr/m-3(0.57 cu yd/kWh)-an improvement of 8291%- over the D11 alternative. The energy comparison illustrates the importance of using more efficient electric power if possible, ahead of the internal combustion engine, and delivering power from a fixed ground position rather than through a moving track system. Another important energy observation is the comparative action of the dozer blade and the OS hoe. The former implement continuously digs and spills as it works the load forward. The OS hoe digs the load until full, the blade then lifts due to the contained load pressure and a shear plane forms under the mass, enabling it to slide forward in a force reduced - transporting mode. Economic comparison Table 2 operating cost per scheduled hour and unit cost comparison follows a format used in Tables 2 and 3 of Hrebar's paper and compares Case 1 Study with the OS alternative. Drill and blast costs are kept constant in both cases, although when larger OS units are considered, it is expected these costs will reduce because bigger hoe sizes will permit larger rocks to be transported efficiently.

Jan 1, 1995

By J. L. Kearns

The importance of optimizing equipment replacement decisions becomes more critical each year due to the rising costs of buying new equipment versus maintaining old equipment. Replacing equipment when it is physically worn out, or replacing it too soon or too late relative to its Economic Life (when it is economically worn out), is very costly. After extensive literature review and research, Kennecott has developed its Equipment Replacement Guide (ERG) system which identifies, evaluates, and justifies the replacement of uneconomical equipment. The system considers such critical factors as inflation, decreasing work capability, increasing maintenance/repair and operating costs, taxes, time value of money, return on investment, salvage value, and investment tax credit. These factors are used in a system of equations which balance the costs of new equipment against the total operating costs of old equipment. The solution of the equations determines the Economic Life of equipment. Replacement of equipment at the determined Economic Life will earn the specified, required return on investment that is used in the calculation of the Economic Life.

Jan 1, 1979

By Osvaldo A. Bascur, J. P. Kennedy

Companies have installed powerful desktops for their personnel and instrumentation and control systems in their plants. These desktops are, in many cases, connected to a company intranet. Still, process engineers have to obtain their data manually. Engineers use process calculations from manually calculated averages from the plant; field operators collect equipment data on log sheets; and maintenance engineers collect critical information on log sheets. All of this information resides in individual machines. What are the strategic tools that will enable collaboration between them? How can operators, engineers, and managers access plant information to proactively increase their effectiveness in process troubleshooting, plant debottleneclung, aligning with business strategic and customer demand, satisfying environmental and safety regulations, developing capital projects, and implementing control strategies? A nonintrusive environment at the desktop is required to provide the process information to these workers. How can value be added to MS Windows technologies with the legacy systems at a minimum cost? There is no straight answer; however, there is a proven framework to leverage the large investments in new technologies. Objects and components are changing the way everyone relates to their computer and networks. Three examples will be described to demonstrate paradigm change. Today, process engineers can access data at the required level of detail for analysis of critical process variables at their desk or remotely. 1. Process Troubleshooting and Analysis: The engineer can develop an inferential calculation, trigger a process advisor to deter- mine the behavior of the units for the last day, and get the population of a set of batches (heats, blocks, rolls, sheets, etc). 2. Process Control and Optimization: The engineer can connect to a process simulator at steady state or a dynamic simulator of the process to evaluate new control strategies or process unit line-ups and use the process simulator as a process observer for fault diagnosis. 3. Collaboration with Accounting and Maintenance: The engineer can review reconciled data and the process mass balances, suggest maintenance cleaning or recalibration of flowmeters, and evaluate key control performance of all advanced controls.

Jan 1, 1999

By T. D. Wheelock

The effect of various flotation depressants and surface treatments on the floatability of coal derived pyrites in the presence of XIBC was investigated with a modified Hallimond tube microflotation cell. The floatability of pyrite particles which had been cleaned with hot dilute (5%) hydrochloric acid was relatively large. However, the floatability of such particles was reduced greatly by the addition of specific depressants such as calcium hydroxide and also by treating the pyrite with an aerated warm alkaline solution. Although this treatment and these depressants also had some effect on the floatability of coal particles, the effect was much less than on the pyrite particles.

Jan 1, 1979

By d&apos, L. F. G. Assumpcao

Kaolin samples from Rio Capim resources were treated in conventional and superconducting magnetic separators to study the main variables that influence the color removal process. Coating clays and delaminated clay were tested. Retention time (or pulp injection velocity), magnetic field intensity and matrix type were the' variables studied. The feed brightness ranged from 84.7 to 87.6 % ISO for the coating clays and from 80.7 to 85.4 % ISO for the delaminated clay. The results showed unleached brightness values higher than 88 % ISO for coating products and higher than 87 % ISO for the delaminated product, using a conventional magnetic separator with an applied field of 1.5 to 2.0 Tesla. With a maximum field intensity in the superconducting machine of 5.0 Tesla, unleached brightness values higher than 88.5 % ISO for both coating and delaminated clays were attained.

Jan 1, 1995

By George A. Savanick

Borehole (slurry) mining, in which a tool incorporating a water-jet cutter and a downhole slurry pump mines phosphate through a borehole, was field tested in northeastern Florida as part of a Bureau of Mines program to increase the domestic availability of critical minerals. Approximately 1700 tons (1.54x106 kg) of phosphate ore were mined at 40 tph (10.1 kg/s) from a depth of 250 ft (76 m). The borehole was filled with water during mining for roof support and to assist slurry pumping. Underwater cutting was enhanced with an air-shrouded water jet. Mined cavities were backfilled to prevent subsidence after abandonment. Roof subsidence during mining was avoided only when the cavity was filled with water. Environmental monitoring before, during, and after mining included hydrological studies and measurements of water quality. Significant water quality changes occurred only in the zone being mined and were confined to the immediate area of the borehole.

Jan 1, 1983

By Mike Hall, Tim Kelly, Mohammad Reza Jafari, Ulf Georg Gwildis

"Qatar’s capital Doha is undergoing major infrastructure improvements including a multiphase stormwater management program. Although located in an arid climate, Doha experiences flooding during rainfall events. Dewatering operations and rising groundwater levels add to the management needs. To address those needs, construction of the Musaimeer collection tunnel along Doha’s southern rim is being followed by a marine outfall tunnel connecting a pump station to a dispersion field 10 km offshore. Qatar’s geology is characterized by sabkha deposits, a series of predominantly weak and karstic rock strata that creates challenging conditions for mechanized tunneling, as highlighted by the uncontrolled flooding of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) used on the Doha Metro tunnels. Risk associated with these challenges is magnified for the outfall tunnel by drive length, sub-sea elevation, and a single access point. This paper describes the outfall exploration strategy and design decisions made in light of experience gained during the collection tunnel construction. CONTEXT – STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Qatar has an arid climate with an average annual precipitation of less than 100 mm. Precipitation is mostly confined to the winter months when rare, but occasionally heavy rainfall events easily lead to flooding in Doha’s metropolitan area. Its coastal location and flat topography a few meters above the sea level mean that the depth to the groundwater table is generally shallow. The karstic aquifers in the regional dolomite and limestone series contain groundwater of high salinity, which is not suitable as a potable water source. For supplying Doha’s population of more than 900,000 (2014) with potable water, the Ras Abu Fontas seawater desalination plant is operated about 10 km south of the city. This potable water production capacity is crucial for Doha’s development and – in conjunction with overirrigation and leaking sewage tanks – is also the root cause for rising groundwater tables that have been observed over the past years."

Jan 1, 2016

By D. Bogunovic

The objective of this research was to conduct field-scale experiments at an operating surface coal mine in order to determine the impact of the bucket fill factor on dragline production rate and energy consumption. Data collected from a dragline monitoring system were recorded in a specifically designed software tool and the relationship among these parameters was established. an algorithm for the determination of the ?best? fill factor was developed and integrated in the software. It was determined for the analyzed dragline in the mine that energy consumption in the digging phase can be reduced by 36% and production rate can be increased by 1.4% for a bucket fill factor of about 80%, a fill distance of 19.8 m (65 ft) (i.e., 3.1 bucket lengths) and a bucket fill time of 15 sec. the method developed and applied in this study may help dragline operators to determine the fill factor that will increase production rates and reduce energy consumption in specific surface coal mines. Mining Engineering, 2011, Vol. 63, No. 8, pp. 48-53. Official publication of the society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc.

Jan 1, 2011

By M. E. Grimes

Rio Algom Mines Ltd. owns eight uranium mines and mills in the Elliot Lake district of Ontario, seven of which were producing before 1960. At present only one mine is operating meeting current contract requirements. Under present economic conditions, it is not feasible to mine ore of less than 2.0 lbs./ton U308, although there are very large reserves below this grade. We are interested in preconcentration for three possible applications: to extend ore reserves by permitting use of lower grade ore, to reduce costs on processing of present grade ore, and to reduce capital investment in expanding production to meet future production goals.

Jan 1, 1973

The global mining industry will always face significant challenges. Some, though, are bigger than others. What do you consider the major challenges facing the mining industry as a whole and SME in particular? Without a doubt, the major issue in both coal and metal/nonmetal mining industries is the ?graying? of the workforce in all aspects of mining. As the baby boomers continue to age, valuable experience is being lost by industry, government and academia. And there is the potential for SME to lose some of its membership. Now with that said, I should note that, despite the aging of the workforce, SME membership continued to grow by 7.1 percent during 2011.

Jan 1, 2012

If it had not been for the almost unbelievable adventures that came before and after, the last ten months of 19 15 would have been exciting enough for anyone. As it was they were a cheerful interlude. I spent most of the time on our Warren operations catching up on a lot of underground work and visiting Ajo every few weeks to see if my Chuquicamata visit might help solve the New Cornelia problem. While the difficulties were finally solved, at times they seemed almost hopeless. About all I could do to help was to make sure that the ore sent to the pilot plants represented the average ore that must be treated in the final 5000 tpd mill. Dr. Ricketts and John Greenway worked tirelessly with the best consulting advice they could obtain. Credit for the final success was due chiefly to their efforts. Since our old group had given up its "Merry Widow" home in Warren, a few of us got rooms in the company-built Cole Building over the Warren grocery store. This included Jim Lewis, Roy Mitchell, Steve Landon, Paul Stevens, and Hubert d'Autremont who came from Duluth to join our legal staff. Later we rented a small house two blocks from the Calumet and Arizona office. With the now flourishing country club only a 10-min walk away, and an electric car running to it every half hour or so, we were able to give parties in return for the hospitality of our friends. One of the most pleasant episodes came by luck a few days after I got back from Chile. Chester Congdon, a leading director in Calumet and Arizona, with his wife and their daughters, Elizabeth and Helen, spent a couple of days at the Greenway house before making an auto- mobile trip across the desert from Tucson to Ajo. At the same time I arranged to examine the small but rich Bush and Baxter copper mine a few miles from Tucson. At a party in Warren we found we would all be staying at the Santa Rita Hotel in Tucson, and I took my South

Jan 1, 1976

By J. E. Hoffman, Massimo Maccagni, T. J. Keefe, Marco Olper, O&apos

The problem relating to the use of insoluble anodes in acidic and highly aggressive environments has still not been definitely solved, and it is therefore a recurring subject of discussion. The fields of application in which insoluble anodes play a fundamental role are mainly in the electrolytic extraction of metals, in cathodic protection with impressed current, and in the production of oxidized halogenated salts. Based on the foregoing, B.U.S Engitec Servizi Ambientali (BESA) developed an electrode suitable for the use in the above-mentioned system. The basic component of the BESA anode is a bimetallic wire made of a copper rod (core) covered by a thin layer of valve metal, to be chosen between tantalum (Ta) and niobium (Nb). The wires, coated with suitable catalyst (PbO2, Pt or others) are inserted in a plastic frame and fixed to a current feeder by means of a screw, ensuring an optimal contact. Experimental data on the operating conditions, such as kind of electrolyte, current density, electrode potential, corrosion tests and fields of possible application, are described.

Jan 1, 1993

By J. M. Mutmansky

A number of previous publications have attempted to provide the practicing ventilation engineer with simple guidelines on the optimal velocity to be used in mine openings. Some of these velocities were meant to be used in metal mining operations and some were meant for coal mining. A careful review of these publications reveals that the optimal velocities were determined based upon assumptions that are not existent today. As a result, they are not suitable for use in a modern coal mine. This paper takes a new look at this problem and determines a statistical relationship for optimal velocity that can be applied under both current and future conditions. The analysis performed here is based upon the determination of the optimal velocity for coal mine entries under variations in power cost, mining cost differential, airway friction factor, time value of money, airway lifespan, and quantity of air carried. A total of 8400 different conditions were analyzed for optimal velocity using computer calculation of the capital and operating cost values. Using the individual values of the optimal velocity derived in the calculations, a linear regression equation was fitted to the data to relate the optimal velocity to the other six variables outlined above. This regression relationship allows the ventilation engineer to make an easy, rapid determination of the optimal velocity.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. Andrew McGlenn, Greg Emslie, Murray Gant

The Second Narrows Water Supply Tunnel will ensure system reliability in the event of a major earthquake and increase the Greater Vancouver Water District’s capacity to meet a growing population’s longterm needs. It includes a bored tunnel between two deep shafts located in North Vancouver and Burnaby, BC, Canada. The support of excavation for the 16-meter-diameter (52.5 ft) TBM launch shaft consists of 83-meter-deep (272 ft) unreinforced concrete slurry walls. This paper discusses challenges encountered during construction of the launch shaft slurry walls, namely excavation methods and slurry loss, and mitigative solutions implemented to successfully complete the shaft with minimal impact to project schedule.

Dec 1, 2022

By M. Polat

A combined heavy medium-flotation process which incorporates the advantages of two widely employed cleaning methods, namely, heavy medium separation and flotation was used to achieve improved separation of coal from ash at fine sizes and to recover the heavy medium as a substantially recyclable product. The investigation was carried out in two successive phases. In the first phase, tests were performed to deter-mine the effect of different variables such as the medium density, flotation time, magnetite type, etc. on the efficiency of the process using in-plant samples from Homer City Coal Preparation Plant. In the second phase, the optimum conditions determined in the first phase were employed to determine the applicability of the process to a few Central Pennsylvania coals. It was observed that the process was very effective in recovering the magnetite. In most of the cases investigated, the magnetite was separated from the non-magnetic material at approximate-1 to 99 % recovery with a grade ranging from 95 to 99 %. The grade of magnetite decreased with increase in ash content of coal and with decrease in size of magnetite.

Jan 1, 1992

By Alan D. Randolph

A size-continuous breakage kinetics model is postulated and supported with industrial grinding mill data. It is shown that the kinetics parameters include the effects of possible classification at the mill discharge. The estimated parameters were then used in the kinetics model to simulate the behavior of a grinding mill in open and closed circuit operation. While material transport and kinetics are equally important in open loop operation, heavy recycle in a closed circuit make a detailed material transport model for grinding unnecessary. In effect, the mill can be considered as backmixed. This suggests that more emphasis should be placed on modeling the classifier than the development of detailed material transport models for the grinding mill.

Jan 1, 1975

By Lui Bin, Li Xinghua, Jiang Guoan

By employing decision support system and Borland C++ and Foxpro 2.58 For Windows as development means and tools, this system comprehensively applies the price decision theory, fore- casting and optimization techniques as a complete theoretical system, realizing the computerization of analysis, forecasting and decision process of coal price.

Jan 1, 1996

By A. H. Kaksonen

Numerous reactor designs for biological sulfate reduction have been reported. Fluidized-bed bioreactors (FBR) can efficiently retain biomass and allow high mass transfer and reaction rates. This work reviews the development of various sulfate-reducing FBR processes for treating acidic metal- and sulfate-containing waters and recovering metals from bioleaching liquors. The FBR process performance was evaluated with continuous flow experiments under various operational conditions: fluidization rates, influent pH values, metal, sulfate and salt concentrations, hydraulic retention times, electron and carbon sources, and temperatures. Substrate utilization and sulfide inhibition kinetics were determined with batch FBR-kinetic experiments. An artificial neural network (ANN) model was used to predict the performance of the FBR. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were characterized in FBRs with molecular and culture-based approaches with the aim to gain a better understating of the bioprocesses. Based on the studies, FBRs are well suited for the combined removal of metals, acidity and sulfate from water.

Jan 1, 2010

By R. L. Wiegel

Some of the mineral deposits that are being processed today, and especially those expected to be processed in the future, have relatively low compositions of the valuable mineral. With these low-grade ores, it is necessary to be able to design processes that are sufficiently low-cost to permit exploitation. One approach to minimizing the capital and operating costs for these processes is to use the capabilities of computer process simulation in the design phase of development, to make important technical and economic decisions regarding the evaluation of alternative process flow schemes, the selection of equipment and the choice of operating conditions. There are mathematical simulation models for most mineral processing operations, including several each for size reduction, size classification and mineral separations. To be able to tie these individual operating models together in an integrated mineral process simulation, however, it is important, in fact in some cases essential, that there be a model which describes how the mineral system responds to size reduction in making the liberated valuable and waste mineral particles available for concentration or rejection operations and the locked particles available for possible recirculation. This, then, is the role played by the mineral liberation model, showing the relationship between particle size, quantity and composition throughout the process.

Jan 1, 2011