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By Luis Orna

En el 2017, con un capital de prototipo de $35 000, un retorno de inversión de 7 meses y una contribución adicional de reservas Au en 2018 de 3 612 331 onzas (37% adicional del estimado en exploración de Yanacocha en un año), se implementó una solución robótica para la evaluación óptima de reserva de minerales, gracias a la que se logró incrementar la ley promedio de 0.35% a 0.93% Au, así como la precisión de bloques en depósito de mineral, de 69% a 89%, sin sustituir la mano de obra (como ingenieros geólogos), sino brindándoles una herramienta precisa adicional. Asimismo, al utilizar al robot en la exploración y prospección de minerales, se logró reducir campañas de exploración de 4 años a 1.5 años, así como los costos, de $5M a $2M por campaña de exploración. Finalmente, el robot también se implementó en el ambiente de seguridad ocupacional, de manera que se logró mantener en cero los accidentes por derrumbes.

Sep 20, 2019

By Adolfo Valvano

Cerro Vanguardia S.A. (C.V.S.A.) es uno de los yacimientos auríferos y argentíferos más significativos y de mayor trayectoria de Argentina. En ese sentido, el presente trabajo describe las acciones desarrolladas por la compañía minera Cerro Vanguardia en referencia a la responsabilidad empresarial, y su relación con el desarrollo económico, la responsabilidad social y el cuidado del medio ambiente en las comunidades cercanas donde opera dicho yacimiento. Asimismo, se describen ejemplos y experiencias impulsadas por la nueva actividad como es la minería metalífera, que permitió recuperar una economía regional, la cual vivía una realidad desalentadora, producto de los bajos precios internacionales de lana y las bajas productividades de los campos por la intensa desertificación producida por malos manejos y la erupción del volcán Hudson en el año 1991, que cubrió de cenizas gran parte de la Meseta Central Patagónica.

Sep 12, 2011

By Jimmy Guarnizo

El yacimiento de La Zanja ubicada en el caserío La Zanja, Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Cajamarca, inició sus actividades de exploración en 1991 y las de producción en el 2010. MLZ construyó el embalse o reservorio llamado Bramadero, que acumula las aguas de escorrentía de la quebrada del mismo nombre durante el periodo de lluvias, las cuales son empleadas para el consumo humano en la unidad minera, y en menor escala durante la época de estiaje para los procesos de operación. En este sentido, el presente texto señala la construcción de la presa Bramadero, la cual genera agua para beneficio de las poblaciones ubicadas aguas abajo de las instalaciones. Asi también cuenta con un programa de monitoreo ambiental para vigilar la calidad y la cantidad de aguas superficiales y subterráneas. Por tal motivo, cuenta con estaciones hidrométricas para evaluar en tiempo real la calidad del agua en los cuerpos receptores del área de influencia de la unidad minera.

Sep 1, 2015

The Yanacocha Project is the first foreign investment in Peruvian mining since Cuajone (1976). Three years after the project began, it has become the largest producer of gold from heap leach operations in the world and the top producer in Latin America. The success of Minera Yanacocha (MYSA) opens a new chapter in Peruvian mining with the exploitation of its widely spread gold deposits and has attracted the interest of foreign investors in Peru's ample mineral resources. Construction began on August 1, 1992 and after twelve months of arduous work, the first gold bar was poured on August 7, 1993 from ore from the Carachugo mine. In 1993, Minera Yanacocha produced 81,000 ounces of gold and 304,000 ounces in 1994 (40% above budget). Production is expected to exceed 500,000 ounces in 1995 with the start-up of operations in the Maqui Maqui mine. This paper presents a summary of MYSA's experiences during its first two years of operations in the areas of mining, ore processing, environmental protection, loss control and community assistance. The paper also shows that MYSA's successes are not only due to the richness of the deposit, but also to the combination of a number of factors basic to the project's success, such as: an economic policy favoring investment in Peru, the availability of highly qualified local personnel to facilitate the transfer of technology from the United States and the desire and determination of the partners to carry the project forward in an initial atmosphere of uncertainty and terrorism.

Jan 1, 1996

Mineragraphy is a coined term to signify the field of microscopic investigation of ore minerals. The term is not euphonius and is sometimes regarded as superfluous because the subject is no more than an enlargement of the scope of petrology. In the past the practical field of petrology has been largely limited by the instruments which were designed for the study of rocks and' the microscopical properties of the transparent minerals. The addition of mineragraphy has been brought about by the use of the reflecting microscope and a totally different technique.The use of the petrological microscope, as it has been employed in the training oi geologists and mining engineers for nearly half a century, has been justified many times, not only in its application to general geological problems, but also in the more restricted field of the exploration and examination of ore deposits. It provides information of the gangue minerals and rocks associated with an ore body which is of great value in some mining fields. In cases where ore deposits occur selectively in certain favourable types of rock, the recognition and delineation of these rock types is a useful guide in prospecting. The Boulder Belt at Kalgoorlie forms one of the most striking examples in Australia where important significance is attached to different rock types, and the petrological microscope is essential to their elucidation.

Jan 1, 1932

By Karl J. C. Harries

Mineral Agreements and Royalties

Jan 1, 2003

By Jury P. Nazarov

"At present the traditional study of crystal lattices of nmerials in a topic “flota tion mineralogy ” is used up. The present investigation is development of the a sclsical approaches to t he analy sis of ideal crystal lattices and f ormation on the basic obtained results of consultation, having practical chara cter.The strategy of develop ment floatation reagents i s offered, which basic pr inciple – complementary assembling m olecules forming surface co mpounds so thatth e steric charact eristic of the “visitor "" (of a polar gro up of molecule SAS) corresponded to the st er ic requirements of the ""o wner"" (elementary cell of a mineral), or coincided inter molecular cavities). In itsh case process of for mation of surface com pounds ca n be considered(a first approximation) as a realization of a principle of the design er "" LEGO "".The approach, which basic idea consi deration actioonf reactant ions and ions of ele mentary cell as three-di mensional objects is developed. And at suchp paroach the laws of a ster eometry - laws describin g spatial effect s are applicable. Thus it is possible toconsider a miner al surface as a mat r ix - basis for formation of the requirem ents to polar group of a molleec cuollector, and or (it is possible) depressant. As a whole approach represents a generalized principle double com plementation, enveloping both power, and geometric asp ects (concept ""lock "" and “key "" - spatial conform ity. Figure 7 (left). Fragment of a crystal lat tice of ap atite. Oleic acid ions interact on ly with th e calcium cations locate d on a long axi s of an elementary c ell. Magenta colour represe nts the calciu m cations, which are n ot particip atin g in interactio n, as th e degree of screening by ions neighbours exceeds 1.Figure 2. (right)The illustration of space complementary. “Afterbuilding” an elementary cell of apatite (radical PO4) related molecules of the visitor – alkyl phosphate (polar group PO4). Cations of calcium are not shown."

Jan 1, 2003

By J. S. Limb

Actual issues which arose during the discovery process or subsequent court testimony are presented. While most of these issues relate to the author’s specialty of mineral appraisal some are more general in nature and could be of interest to those who may be involved in current or future court testimony. Several important areas to be reviewed and agreed upon with the client and their legal counsel are discussed. General observations on litigation, the discovery process, testimony and some repercussion’s are also given.

Jan 1, 2001

By John T. Neubert

Between 1988 and 1990, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied the mineral resources of San Juan National Forest to appraise and determine types and locations of deposits that could be mined economically now and in the foreseeable future. The study included a comprehensive field examination and literature search. Substantial amounts of lead, zinc, copper, gold, and silver have been mined from within the Forest in the La Plata, Rico, Silverton, and Dunton areas. At least one buried 200 million ton stockwork molybdenum deposit occurs in the Rico area. Similar size porphyry copper deposits occur at the surface and about 1,700 feet below the surface in the Bedrock Creek area of the La Plata district. Numerous smaller base-and precious-metal and uranium deposits have been prospected and mined throughout the Forest. Coal, oil, and gas have been or are currently being produced in the western and southern parts of the Forest. Carbon dioxide occurs in the western part of the Forest. Strategic elements occurring within the Forest include platinum, palladium, cadmium, gallium, indium, bismuth, and tellurium; however none of these elements is economically recoverable at present. Several geothermal areas are scattered across the eastern two-thirds of the Forest. Industrial minerals within the Forest include sand and gravel, limestone, and decorative stone.

Jan 1, 1992

By D. C. Bard

THESE notes are based on the megascopic study of a suite of 2,400 specimens of minerals and ores from the Butte mines, combined with field observations at intervals over a period of several years. The estimate of average vein composition is based on field acquaintance with the veins. It is probably correct in its broader proportions, and should be of use for comparison. Chemical and Mineral Composition of Butte Sulphide Vein. Matter. Per Cent. Oxygen 43.00-Quartz, rhodonite, rhodochrosite, barite, calcite, and hübnerite. Silicon 36.00-Quartz, rhodonite, and willemite (very rare). Sulphur 5.00-Sulphides of. iron, zinc, copper, lead,. and sulphates of barium and rarely calcium. Iron 5.00-Ferric sulphides (pyrite, bornite, chalcopyrite), also in sphalerite, tetrahedrite, and rarely hematite and siderite. Manganese, . . . . 2.00-Rhodonite, rhodochrosite, and hübnerite. Zinc, . . . . 1.00-Spha erite, very rare wurtzite and willemite, and tetrahedrite and tennantite.

Jan 8, 1913

By Strathmore R. B. Cooke, Thomas E. Bam

The paper discusses the mineralogy, structure, and strength of magnetite pellets fired in air and in a neutral atmosphere at various temperatures. The information obtained from this investigation is used to explain the origin of the structures occurring in pellets produced by pilot-plant operation. MUCH experimental work has been performed on i-VL the mechanism of agglomeration and pelletiz-ing of moist ore and concentrates and on the process of firing agglomerates, but except for the work of Tigerschiold and Ilmonil much of the published information is empirical, and the literature contains no information concerning the structure of fired pellets. Results of a preliminary study of the micro-structures occurring in pellets produced both in the laboratory and on a pilot-plant scale are presented in this paper. Most of the results were obtained from pellets prepared from Mesabi magnetic taconite, but through the courtesy of the staffs of the Minnesota Mines Experiment Station and the Bethlehem Steel Co., fired pellets produced from limonite and hematite ores and from Lebanon magnetite have also been examined. The work has been restricted almost entirely to pellets produced without additives, the exceptions being those in which coal was added to the filter cake before rolling. Schwartz has described the microstructures occurring in ore sinters produced under reducing conditions.' Many of the structures and constituents he describes are common to fired pellets, but the constituents normally occur in markedly different proportions. His statement that "in all satisfactory sinter the amount of hematite is small, perhaps not over 2 or 3 per cent" is inapplicable to pellets produced by pilot plant operation or by any process in which air is not deliberately excluded. Pilot plant pellets contain over 90 pct by weight of hematite, and those produced in the smaller furnaces of the Minnesota Mines Experiment Station contain more than 80 pct of that constituent. Preparation of Specimens It is difficult to examine unfired pellets microscopically because of their insufficient coherency to withstand sectioning and polishing. Fired pellets sometimes lack coherency and frequently contain holes which are troublesome during polishing. Impregnation of both air-dried and fired pellets is readily accomplished by the use of methyl metha-crylate monomer." The dry pellets are covered in a test tube with excess monomer, to which a small amount of accelerator has been added. When the test tube is placed in a cooling bath and evacuated with an aspirator, most of the entrapped air is removed, and disruption of weak pellets by boiling of the monomer is reduced to a minimum. Polymerization is then effected by immersion of the test tube in a water-bath at about 45"C, this temperature being held for 4 or 5 days. The test tube may then be broken away from the solidified mass and the pellets sectioned by a carborundum wheel or a diamond saw. Where time is important, impregnation is carried out at a higher temperature by Meyer's method.' Air-dried pellets must be impregnated with especial care; otherwise swelling occurs and the solids are displaced. It is more important to be certain that the monomer forms a reasonably complete network throughout the specimen than that all entrained air is removed, and for this reason the vacuum technique may be omitted. Impregnated agglomerated products and pellets are extremely coherent, section well, and may be polished either by hand or by machine. Hand polishing is not satisfactory for the examination of conditions existing at the boundaries of grains, and for this machine polishing must be used. The Graton-Vanderwilt machine gives excellent results, provided that pressure on the specimen is considerably in excess of that recommended by the manufacturer. Mineralogy of Fired Pellets Only two opaque iron minerals, magnetite and hematite, have been recognized in pellets. The complete identity of, these artificial minerals with their corresponding natural counterparts is shown by their mineralographic characteristics and their X-ray structures. Wiistite has not been found. Slag is the most common transparent constituent of fired pellets. Occasionally conditions have been appropriate for the crystallization of fayalite from the slag, and at other times another crystalline sil-

Jan 1, 1953

By Strathmore R. B. Cooke, Thomas E. Bam

The paper discusses the mineralogy, structure, and strength of magnetite pellets fired in air and in a neutral atmosphere at various temperatures. The information obtained from this investigation is used to explain the origin of the structures occurring in pellets produced by pilot-plant operation. MUCH experimental work has been performed on i-VL the mechanism of agglomeration and pelletiz-ing of moist ore and concentrates and on the process of firing agglomerates, but except for the work of Tigerschiold and Ilmonil much of the published information is empirical, and the literature contains no information concerning the structure of fired pellets. Results of a preliminary study of the micro-structures occurring in pellets produced both in the laboratory and on a pilot-plant scale are presented in this paper. Most of the results were obtained from pellets prepared from Mesabi magnetic taconite, but through the courtesy of the staffs of the Minnesota Mines Experiment Station and the Bethlehem Steel Co., fired pellets produced from limonite and hematite ores and from Lebanon magnetite have also been examined. The work has been restricted almost entirely to pellets produced without additives, the exceptions being those in which coal was added to the filter cake before rolling. Schwartz has described the microstructures occurring in ore sinters produced under reducing conditions.' Many of the structures and constituents he describes are common to fired pellets, but the constituents normally occur in markedly different proportions. His statement that "in all satisfactory sinter the amount of hematite is small, perhaps not over 2 or 3 per cent" is inapplicable to pellets produced by pilot plant operation or by any process in which air is not deliberately excluded. Pilot plant pellets contain over 90 pct by weight of hematite, and those produced in the smaller furnaces of the Minnesota Mines Experiment Station contain more than 80 pct of that constituent. Preparation of Specimens It is difficult to examine unfired pellets microscopically because of their insufficient coherency to withstand sectioning and polishing. Fired pellets sometimes lack coherency and frequently contain holes which are troublesome during polishing. Impregnation of both air-dried and fired pellets is readily accomplished by the use of methyl metha-crylate monomer." The dry pellets are covered in a test tube with excess monomer, to which a small amount of accelerator has been added. When the test tube is placed in a cooling bath and evacuated with an aspirator, most of the entrapped air is removed, and disruption of weak pellets by boiling of the monomer is reduced to a minimum. Polymerization is then effected by immersion of the test tube in a water-bath at about 45"C, this temperature being held for 4 or 5 days. The test tube may then be broken away from the solidified mass and the pellets sectioned by a carborundum wheel or a diamond saw. Where time is important, impregnation is carried out at a higher temperature by Meyer's method.' Air-dried pellets must be impregnated with especial care; otherwise swelling occurs and the solids are displaced. It is more important to be certain that the monomer forms a reasonably complete network throughout the specimen than that all entrained air is removed, and for this reason the vacuum technique may be omitted. Impregnated agglomerated products and pellets are extremely coherent, section well, and may be polished either by hand or by machine. Hand polishing is not satisfactory for the examination of conditions existing at the boundaries of grains, and for this machine polishing must be used. The Graton-Vanderwilt machine gives excellent results, provided that pressure on the specimen is considerably in excess of that recommended by the manufacturer. Mineralogy of Fired Pellets Only two opaque iron minerals, magnetite and hematite, have been recognized in pellets. The complete identity of, these artificial minerals with their corresponding natural counterparts is shown by their mineralographic characteristics and their X-ray structures. Wiistite has not been found. Slag is the most common transparent constituent of fired pellets. Occasionally conditions have been appropriate for the crystallization of fayalite from the slag, and at other times another crystalline sil-

Jan 1, 1953

By Bunting S. Crocker

EBBLE grinding at Lake Shore is not a temporary BlE wartime substitute. The tube milling plant, with a 1000 ton per day capacity, grinds a hard siliceous ore to 90 pct — 325 mesh. The plant, prior to using pebbles, was consuming 4.3 lb of 11/4-in. grinding balls per ton of ore, which amounted to 785 tons of balls per year. At September 1951 prices, $132.60 per ton, this steel cost amounted to $104,400 per year, or $0.285 per ton milled. By the Lake Shore method of substituting screened rock for this steel, all of this cost is saved. This is one of the major economies in Lake Shore mill practice. Regardless of the ultimate price of grinding balls, a change back to steel balls is not considered. The present pebble plant is more flexible than a steel ball plant and equally efficient. For example, if it is desired to change the size of grinding media, the pebble charge in any mill can be changed completely in 4 to 5 days, as against 76 days to change completely a 1-in. steel ball charge. To change pebble size it is necessary only to change two sets of screens and clean out the rock feed storage bin. This will take 8 to 10 days as against 3 to 4 months to clean out the customary supply of grinding balls kept on hand. Also it has not always been possible to purchase all desired sizes of balls at any price. In an analysis of savings effected by the use of the pebble mills, the flexibility of the Lake Shore grinding plant should be discussed, as it has a direct bearing on these savings. The plant has always used several units to handle tonnage rather than sending all the tonnage through a single unit. This principle may result in using small diameter mills, but no objection to that is seen. At no time has any advantage been found in cost per ton ground in large diameter mills. Both the capacity and the power of any mill varies as the diameter raised to the 2.6th power. Consequently large or small mills are equally efficient, and a plant, should be designed to use as many units or combination of units as is consistent with reasonable operating practice. Mills under 5 ft diam are harder to reline, etc. To define the case at Lake Shore, 2600 tons per day formerly were milled in seven 7x6-ft ball mills and twelve 5x16-ft (and two 6x16-ft) tube mills.* This gave an excellent test plant and an extremely efficient one. In this plant the ratio of ball mills to tube mills was 1:2. When the much cheaper pebble mills were substituted for the tube mills, this ratio was changed to one ball mill to four pebble mills to take the greatest possible advantage of the cheaper operating mill, i.e., the pebble mill. This flexibility without loss in efficiency has been an important item in the cost savings. It is interesting to note that the use of pebbles for fine grinding was proved first in the laboratory in a 12-in. ball mill. In fact, since 1934 all testing on — 8 mesh material has been done in this 12-in. mill. Scope of the Tests A paper on fine grinding at Lake Shore Mines was published in July 1940.' This paper covered 7 years of intensive research on fine grinding as well as sizing methods and equipment, plant scale grinding tests on 5x16-ft tube mills with and without grate discharges both with 1-in. and -in. balls, the use of laboratory mills to evaluate plant changes, and several reports on classifiers and classification. In the following July the addendum report2 was added in which the idea of series-circuit grinding was introduced, and the results of running five stages of tube mills and bowl classifiers were shown. Since 1940, the ball milling end of the plant has been altered extensively as a result of tests on the use of 3-in. rods in 7x6-ft mills and the use of the Tyler repulping screen with from 7 to 14 mesh screens. These tests are lengthy and may be covered in a separate report later. The scope of this report is confined to ore ground by rod milling and ball milling until it passed through an 8 mesh Tyler Ty-rod screen. The —8 mesh screen undersize then was pumped to a primary bowl classifier in open circuit and the sands from the bowl sent to the primary pebble mills, see Fig. 1. In the pebble mill circuit the ore is ground to 90 pct —325 mesh (24 pct + 28 microns). In studying the flowsheet, attention should be paid to the efficiency of the classification equipment used. The Tyler repulping screen is an efficient machine on the 8 to 10 mesh separation, and the bowl classifier is equally efficient at the 325 mesh separation. Efficient classification is a necessity for series-circuit stage grinding. The ore is hard siliceous porphyry, 60 pct SiO,, 80 pct insoluble. Its grindability at different meshes has been shown near the top of the list in F. C. Bond's grindability tests.' Lake Shore is not shown, but an adjacent mine with identical ore, Wright-Hargreaves, is. Reasons for the Changeover Since 1936 grinding balls have been rising steadily in price with no sign of stopping. For a mill that used 4.5 to 5.2 lb of grinding balls for every ton of ore ground this rise represented an alarming increase in grinding costs. In many cases the quality of the grinding balls fell off as the scrap steel became more difficult to obtain. The ratio of tube mills to ball mills increased with the use of the Tyler repulping screen in the ball mill circuit. Originally only 3.0 lb of balls per ton were used in the tube mills, and this

Jan 1, 1953

By Bunting S. Crocker

EBBLE grinding at Lake Shore is not a temporary BlE wartime substitute. The tube milling plant, with a 1000 ton per day capacity, grinds a hard siliceous ore to 90 pct — 325 mesh. The plant, prior to using pebbles, was consuming 4.3 lb of 11/4-in. grinding balls per ton of ore, which amounted to 785 tons of balls per year. At September 1951 prices, $132.60 per ton, this steel cost amounted to $104,400 per year, or $0.285 per ton milled. By the Lake Shore method of substituting screened rock for this steel, all of this cost is saved. This is one of the major economies in Lake Shore mill practice. Regardless of the ultimate price of grinding balls, a change back to steel balls is not considered. The present pebble plant is more flexible than a steel ball plant and equally efficient. For example, if it is desired to change the size of grinding media, the pebble charge in any mill can be changed completely in 4 to 5 days, as against 76 days to change completely a 1-in. steel ball charge. To change pebble size it is necessary only to change two sets of screens and clean out the rock feed storage bin. This will take 8 to 10 days as against 3 to 4 months to clean out the customary supply of grinding balls kept on hand. Also it has not always been possible to purchase all desired sizes of balls at any price. In an analysis of savings effected by the use of the pebble mills, the flexibility of the Lake Shore grinding plant should be discussed, as it has a direct bearing on these savings. The plant has always used several units to handle tonnage rather than sending all the tonnage through a single unit. This principle may result in using small diameter mills, but no objection to that is seen. At no time has any advantage been found in cost per ton ground in large diameter mills. Both the capacity and the power of any mill varies as the diameter raised to the 2.6th power. Consequently large or small mills are equally efficient, and a plant, should be designed to use as many units or combination of units as is consistent with reasonable operating practice. Mills under 5 ft diam are harder to reline, etc. To define the case at Lake Shore, 2600 tons per day formerly were milled in seven 7x6-ft ball mills and twelve 5x16-ft (and two 6x16-ft) tube mills.* This gave an excellent test plant and an extremely efficient one. In this plant the ratio of ball mills to tube mills was 1:2. When the much cheaper pebble mills were substituted for the tube mills, this ratio was changed to one ball mill to four pebble mills to take the greatest possible advantage of the cheaper operating mill, i.e., the pebble mill. This flexibility without loss in efficiency has been an important item in the cost savings. It is interesting to note that the use of pebbles for fine grinding was proved first in the laboratory in a 12-in. ball mill. In fact, since 1934 all testing on — 8 mesh material has been done in this 12-in. mill. Scope of the Tests A paper on fine grinding at Lake Shore Mines was published in July 1940.' This paper covered 7 years of intensive research on fine grinding as well as sizing methods and equipment, plant scale grinding tests on 5x16-ft tube mills with and without grate discharges both with 1-in. and -in. balls, the use of laboratory mills to evaluate plant changes, and several reports on classifiers and classification. In the following July the addendum report2 was added in which the idea of series-circuit grinding was introduced, and the results of running five stages of tube mills and bowl classifiers were shown. Since 1940, the ball milling end of the plant has been altered extensively as a result of tests on the use of 3-in. rods in 7x6-ft mills and the use of the Tyler repulping screen with from 7 to 14 mesh screens. These tests are lengthy and may be covered in a separate report later. The scope of this report is confined to ore ground by rod milling and ball milling until it passed through an 8 mesh Tyler Ty-rod screen. The —8 mesh screen undersize then was pumped to a primary bowl classifier in open circuit and the sands from the bowl sent to the primary pebble mills, see Fig. 1. In the pebble mill circuit the ore is ground to 90 pct —325 mesh (24 pct + 28 microns). In studying the flowsheet, attention should be paid to the efficiency of the classification equipment used. The Tyler repulping screen is an efficient machine on the 8 to 10 mesh separation, and the bowl classifier is equally efficient at the 325 mesh separation. Efficient classification is a necessity for series-circuit stage grinding. The ore is hard siliceous porphyry, 60 pct SiO,, 80 pct insoluble. Its grindability at different meshes has been shown near the top of the list in F. C. Bond's grindability tests.' Lake Shore is not shown, but an adjacent mine with identical ore, Wright-Hargreaves, is. Reasons for the Changeover Since 1936 grinding balls have been rising steadily in price with no sign of stopping. For a mill that used 4.5 to 5.2 lb of grinding balls for every ton of ore ground this rise represented an alarming increase in grinding costs. In many cases the quality of the grinding balls fell off as the scrap steel became more difficult to obtain. The ratio of tube mills to ball mills increased with the use of the Tyler repulping screen in the ball mill circuit. Originally only 3.0 lb of balls per ton were used in the tube mills, and this

Jan 1, 1953

By W. Philippoff

ALTHOUGH Gaudin1 and more recently Sutherland2 have calculated the probability of collision of a falling mineral particle with a rising bubble, there is no published information concerning the details of the mechanism of attachment of a collector-coated particle to a bubble. During the past year the writer has developed a theory for the mechanism of attachment, which has been substantiated experimentally. Funds for the investigation and for some of the equipment used have been supplied by the Mines Experiment Station of the University of Minnesota. Motion picture studies of the phenomena involved in the collision between mineral particles and bubbles, such as those of Spedden and Hannan," show that the contact can be completed within 0.3 millisec. Formulas developed for rigid bodies have hitherto been used' for the calculation of the motion of bubble and particle, but it is obvious that a bubble cannot be regarded as a rigid body. On the contrary, Spedden and Hannan's pictures show a great degree of deformation during the collision. The time of attachment was calculated as the time the particle drifted past the bubble. Time of Collision The theory presented in this paper enables calculation of the time of collision, using the concept that the bubble, or more generally, a liquid-air interface, acts as an elastic body. The elasticity, defined as the restoring force on a mechanical deformation, is caused by the surface tension and is the result of the principle of the minimum of free surface energy. It is well known that an elasticity together with a mass determines a frequency of vibration. The vibrations of jets and drops caused by the elasticity of the interface are known to comply exactly with the classical theory of capillarity.' However, the vibrations of isolated bubbles, as distinct from foams, have not been investigated previously. The following equation, presented elsewhere,' has been deduced for these frequencies: 3_____________________ fB = 9.20.vV.vn. (n-1).(n+2)/8 [I] in which fB is the frequency of a harmonic of the bubble in cycles per second, V the volume of the bubble in cc, n a number determining the order of the harmonic, and n = 2 the basic vibration. The first (basic) harmonic describes a change of the spherical bubble to an ellipsoidal bubble. The higher harmonics are more complicated, for the circumference of the bubble is divided approximately into as many parts as the order of the harmonic. As an example, Spedden and Hannan's published motion picture of a vibrating bubble corresponds to the sixth harmonic. Eq 1 shows that only the first and third harmonics are simple multiples (1 and 3), all the others being irrational fractions of the basic frequency. This means that the shape of the vibration can change with time and is in general unsym-metric in respect to the time axis. Such conditions prevail when there is a distributed elasticity or mass, as in the case of vibrating membranes or rods. The constant 9.20 is valid for water at room temperature, but a general solution involving the physical constants of the liquid has not been found. The case of the floating particle is much easier to treat than that of the bubble. It can be assumed that the elasticity is caused exclusively by the interface and that the mass is concentrated in the particle together with some adhering water. The following expression for the frequency of a system of one degree of freedom can be applied: fP = -1/2-vE/m [2] Here fp is the frequency of the particle vibration in cycles per second, E the elasticity in dynes per cm, and m the mass in grams. The classical theory of impact phenomena gives the time of collision during the striking of a spring (in this case the surface of the bubble) by a mass, as: t, = 2/f = nvm/E [3] It is now possible to develop an expression for the elasticity of a floating cylindrical particle. The force equilibrium of a cylinder floating end on at the air-liquid interface is given by the well-known equation (Poisson7 1831) P = /4 D2-pL-g-h + D.y sin a [4] which accounts for the buoyancy and the action of the surface tension where P is the force acting on the particle in dynes (weight-buoyancy), D the diameter of the cylinder in cm, PL the density of the liquid in grams per cc, g the acceleration of gravity = 981 cm per sec2, h the depression of the cylinder below the surface of the liquid in cm, y the surface tension in dynes per cm and a the supporting angles or the one required to insure equilibrium, a being smaller than the contact angle 0. Although demonstrated by Poisson, it has not

Jan 1, 1953

By W. Philippoff

ALTHOUGH Gaudin1 and more recently Sutherland2 have calculated the probability of collision of a falling mineral particle with a rising bubble, there is no published information concerning the details of the mechanism of attachment of a collector-coated particle to a bubble. During the past year the writer has developed a theory for the mechanism of attachment, which has been substantiated experimentally. Funds for the investigation and for some of the equipment used have been supplied by the Mines Experiment Station of the University of Minnesota. Motion picture studies of the phenomena involved in the collision between mineral particles and bubbles, such as those of Spedden and Hannan," show that the contact can be completed within 0.3 millisec. Formulas developed for rigid bodies have hitherto been used' for the calculation of the motion of bubble and particle, but it is obvious that a bubble cannot be regarded as a rigid body. On the contrary, Spedden and Hannan's pictures show a great degree of deformation during the collision. The time of attachment was calculated as the time the particle drifted past the bubble. Time of Collision The theory presented in this paper enables calculation of the time of collision, using the concept that the bubble, or more generally, a liquid-air interface, acts as an elastic body. The elasticity, defined as the restoring force on a mechanical deformation, is caused by the surface tension and is the result of the principle of the minimum of free surface energy. It is well known that an elasticity together with a mass determines a frequency of vibration. The vibrations of jets and drops caused by the elasticity of the interface are known to comply exactly with the classical theory of capillarity.' However, the vibrations of isolated bubbles, as distinct from foams, have not been investigated previously. The following equation, presented elsewhere,' has been deduced for these frequencies: 3_____________________ fB = 9.20.vV.vn. (n-1).(n+2)/8 [I] in which fB is the frequency of a harmonic of the bubble in cycles per second, V the volume of the bubble in cc, n a number determining the order of the harmonic, and n = 2 the basic vibration. The first (basic) harmonic describes a change of the spherical bubble to an ellipsoidal bubble. The higher harmonics are more complicated, for the circumference of the bubble is divided approximately into as many parts as the order of the harmonic. As an example, Spedden and Hannan's published motion picture of a vibrating bubble corresponds to the sixth harmonic. Eq 1 shows that only the first and third harmonics are simple multiples (1 and 3), all the others being irrational fractions of the basic frequency. This means that the shape of the vibration can change with time and is in general unsym-metric in respect to the time axis. Such conditions prevail when there is a distributed elasticity or mass, as in the case of vibrating membranes or rods. The constant 9.20 is valid for water at room temperature, but a general solution involving the physical constants of the liquid has not been found. The case of the floating particle is much easier to treat than that of the bubble. It can be assumed that the elasticity is caused exclusively by the interface and that the mass is concentrated in the particle together with some adhering water. The following expression for the frequency of a system of one degree of freedom can be applied: fP = -1/2-vE/m [2] Here fp is the frequency of the particle vibration in cycles per second, E the elasticity in dynes per cm, and m the mass in grams. The classical theory of impact phenomena gives the time of collision during the striking of a spring (in this case the surface of the bubble) by a mass, as: t, = 2/f = nvm/E [3] It is now possible to develop an expression for the elasticity of a floating cylindrical particle. The force equilibrium of a cylinder floating end on at the air-liquid interface is given by the well-known equation (Poisson7 1831) P = /4 D2-pL-g-h + D.y sin a [4] which accounts for the buoyancy and the action of the surface tension where P is the force acting on the particle in dynes (weight-buoyancy), D the diameter of the cylinder in cm, PL the density of the liquid in grams per cc, g the acceleration of gravity = 981 cm per sec2, h the depression of the cylinder below the surface of the liquid in cm, y the surface tension in dynes per cm and a the supporting angles or the one required to insure equilibrium, a being smaller than the contact angle 0. Although demonstrated by Poisson, it has not

Jan 1, 1953

By Nathaniel Arbiter

There is a history in all men's lives, Figuring the nature of the times deceas'd, The which observ'd, a man may prophesy, With a near aim, of the main chance of things. W. Shakespeare, Henry IV; Part 2 Introduction This nation's first century embraced two stages of the Industrial Revolution. During one, what had been a colonial agricultural economy began to industrialize; water power, then steam after 1794, were the energy sources; coal and iron were the essential ingredients. The second stage started after 1850; aided by rich and diverse mineral resources, the country began its transition from the Iron Age to the Age of Metals. Early civilizations had been built on stone, and fairly high levels were sustained on iron. But the spectacular advances in the past century in communication, in construction, in transportation by sea, rail, land and air, and in much that characterizes modern civilization have depended increasingly on the use of the complete metallic and nonmetallic resources of the earth's crust. Thus it was appropriate to define the Industrial Revolution as “the period during which man's relationship to natural resources became utterly changed”, 1 with minerals playing a major and indispensable role. But we are now becoming aware that the relationship of man to natural resources must change again. On every hand the dangers inherent in the contamination of land, sea and air by the wastes of civilization are becoming apparent. And from the growing realization that mineral wealth is finite must eventually come other far reaching changes in mineral use and distribution. For on the scale of centuries we cannot continue to exploit mineral resources even at present rates, let alone at expanded rates, without eventual depletion of the more abundant resources, and early exhaustion of the less abundant. In the past our problems were relatively easily met by the development of new and improved machinery and processes. But the future will

Jan 1, 1971

By R. W. Smith

Living and killed organisms, particularly microorganisms, and extracellular products derived from the organisms are increasingly finding use in minerals engineering. Goals include both enhancement of mineral processing/11.ydrometallurgica,l operations and remediation of mineral industry wastes. Some of the applications, such as biologically assisted leaching of ?sulfide ores and bioxidation of refractory gold ores, are well established commercial ?processes used around the world. Others, such as the use. of organisms for the removal of heavy metal ions from dilute aqueous streams, are nearing commercial application. Many other uses of microorganisms and. their derivatives are potentially possible. These include use of microorganisms in flocculation or flotation of minerals., remediation of organics potentially discharged from mineral engineering operations, degradation of cyanide, the recovery of bitumen from heavy oil reservoirs and tar sands and the solubilisation of lignites and low rank coals. In order to fully exploit these many possible uses of organisms and their derivatives, extensive fundamental .and .applied research work exploring the fundamentals, potential and practicality of the various possible uses of microorganisms in mineral engineering should be vigorously pursued. ?

Jan 1, 1991

By Won C. Park

Experiments showed changes in the mineral content of dolomitic oil shale at temperatures and exposure times which bracket conditions encountered during in situ retorting. Laboratory results correlate with cores from a spent in situ retort at Occidental's Logan Wash test site at Garfield County, Colorado. Dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2, decomposes rapidly to form periclase, MgO, calcite, CaCO3, and CO . Both calcite and periclase are intermediate products that can be stabilized by CO atmosphere at lower temperatures, while steam accelerates the formation 2 of silicates. The decarbonation of calcite appears to involve a direct reaction with both quartz and periclase in forming these silicates. Decarbonation preceeds the formation of akermanite, Ca2 MgSi 207, and diopside, CaMgSi 206, within several hours of heating and is followed by the nucleation of forsterite Mg2SiO4, and monticellite, CaMgSiO4. Under in situ retorting conditions, akermanite and diposide are the major minerals above 800°C. Equilibrium is not attained within 200-300 hours. In situ retorting temperatures above 800°C for extended periods of time should reduce potential ground water leaching by the formation of silicate minerals. These silicates are less soluble than free lime, magnesium or alkali oxides. There is a corresponding decrease in the natural pH of these silicates from approximately 12 down to 7.5 to 9:

Jan 1, 1981

Mineral Changes that Occur During Coal Gasification

Sep 13, 2010