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By E. J. Wasp, T. C. Aude, F. B. Raymer

Abstract-The following paper deals with technical aspects of terminal facilities for western coal pipelines. The information is taken from the Ohio and Black Mesa pipelines and the proposed one in Wyoming. This paper first discusses the feed terminal, the product that it must produce, and the reasons for coal cleaning. Then, in the delivery terminal section, the various methods of dewatering the coal and some recent innovative ideas on bunkering the dewatered product and storing the dewatered coal in large outdoor piles are discussed.

Jan 2, 1978

By F. V. Tideswell

THE suggestion, which appears to find increasing favor, that the elementary composition of coals should be used as the basis of their classification, makes it important that our methods of expressing this elementary composition should be refined. It is doubtful whether many published ultimate analyses of coals are accurate within 1 per cent. carbon. Many are probably as much as 3 or 2 per cent. in error in carbon. It is, perhaps, not always realized that the extreme variation in carbon content over the range of bituminous coals is but 16 per cent. An error of 1 per cent. in carbon on analysis corresponds therefore with one-sixteenth of the whole range, an amount which is unjustifiable even for the application to commercial needs of a system of classification based on ultimate analysis. For the purposes of scientific research such limited accuracy is of little value. The object of this paper is to examine one important source of error in ultimate analysis, that due to the occurrence in coal of inorganic material, and to emphasize the need for the quantitative measurements (of carbon more particularly) on coals to be rendered independent of their contents of such material.

Jan 1, 1928

By Nelson Severinghaus

Consolidated Quarries Corp. must conduct operations for an average sales price of $1.25 per ton, about the same price at which stone was sold 25 years ago when the dollar was worth twice what it is now. To maintain success in a competitive business, the company must solve the usual production problems, which will be discussed here in the order they occur in the flowsheet. Most crushed stone quarries must first remove soil and decomposed rock. Although seasons of lower sales sometimes release regular quarry excavating and haulage equipment for this purpose, overburden is often too extensive for this method to be used. In such cases, special equipment must be assigned or the job may be contracted. As many earthmoving contractors have heavy duty specialized equipment well suited to overburden removal, they should be seriously considered before the job is undertaken. Pockets of clay beneath peaks of hard stone sometimes defy mechanized removal. Pick and shovel laborers at this point might be supplanted by more ingenious use of pumps and water or some other mechanical means. Where overburden is extremely heavy or difficult to remove, underground mining must be considered.

Mar 1, 1956

By Hugh Tiemann

(San Francisco Meeting, September, 1915) THE desirability of employing the centigrade scale for the measurement of temperatures is becoming more and more recognized in this country, particularly in view of the fact that this scale is used almost exclusively in technical papers and publications-exclusively in those published in French or German. There are, however, a large number of factories and laboratories which still employ the Fahrenheit scale. It therefore frequently becomes necessary to convert one into the other and the accompanying chart (Fig. 1) has been found very convenient for this purpose.

Jan 6, 1915

Gentlemen.-It is pleasant to be able to report that the year just closed has been a prosperous and successful one for the Institute. As is shown by the reports of the Treasurer and the Finance Committee, the business affairs of this organization are in excellent condition. With property valued at more than three-quarters of a million dollars, and with considerable sums in various funds and endowments, it is possible to spend on each member of whatever class $22.65 each year, more than the maxi- mum amount of dues received from any one, and substantially twice the average amount, $10.94, received from all. To do this has required close management and a strict regard for our limitations. In 1926, when the Budget was made up, the estimated expenditures for the work which it was felt the Institute must do exceeded the estimated receipts by some $14,000. At the close of the year, despite a number of unexpected decreases in receipts, it had proved possible to accomplish substantially all the work laid out and close the books with the usual transfer of initiation fees to the General Reserve, and still only reduce the cash balance $2,074.54. This was made possible by the hearty and loyal cooperation of the whole staff of employees and the extremely large amount of gratuitous service rendered by the officers, the members of the Divisions and technical Committees, and the membership generally. Even so it was impossible, because of limitations of funds, to undertake many things it is highly desirable for the Institute to do, and it was necessary to refuse the publication of important papers and committee studies, because of the lack of funds. PUBLICATIONS In an analysis of the income and expenses of the Institute published in the February issue of our Journal, MINING AND METALLURGY, it was pointed out that the largest item of expenditure is, as it should -be, for publications. Printing, binding, and distributing the various technical papers sent to the members cost in 1926 more than all the money received from dues, including the portion allocated as subscription to the magazine. Within the. year, the following volumes were printed and, with the exception of the second volume of TRANSACTIONS, which was mailed in January, were distributed : TRANSACTIONS, Volume 73, 1241 pages, covering papers on non-ferrous metallurgy, milling and concentration, non-metallic minerals, iron and steel, and the Institute of Metals Division papers read at the

Jan 1, 1928

By Charles R. Isaacs

In 1972 Kennecott Explorations, Inc. conducted a three month cruise to the central Pacific as part of a study of deep-ocean manganese nodules. One of the objectives of the voyage was to collect at least 200 tons of nodules for use in extractive metallurgy research and various engineering tests. It was determined to cut off production at a maximum of 200 tons, should we reach that amount before the end of the 38 on-station days. We were able to reach that goal; 200 tons of nodules were collected, representing an average return of 2340 lb from 171 dredge runs. Once equipment and techniques were refined, normal returns consistently exceeded 2 tons per haul. Up to this time, Kennecott had sampled extensively with the use of small free-fall devices using wire rope and winch equipment. These devices have never offered a viable method for collecting nodules in bulk, and we sought to develop a dredging capability which would give some assurance of meeting future requirements with efficiency and economy. After testing a series of increasingly complex dredge designs at sea, it was decided to utilize two of the simpler configurations, which after modification provided the basic design for the dredge used.

Jan 4, 1974

By Dennis V. D’Andrea, Robert C. Steckley, William C. Larson, Richard A. Dick

A fragmentation experiment was performed in cooperation with Duval Corporation in a porphyry copper molybdenum deposit near the Sierrita pit south of Tucson, Ariz. A 10-hole test blast was detonated to establish relationships between blasthole spacing and the resulting fragmentation. Blastholes were 9 in. in diameter and 110 ft deep. The 10 blastholes contained a total of 17,400 lb of aluminized slurry blasting agent in 50-ft columns with 60 ft of stemming. Blasthole spacings of 25, 20, and 15 ft were tested. Diamond drill core examination was the primary method used to determine the condition of the rock before and after blasting. Topographic surveys were used to measure the rock swell produced by the blast and a fragment size distribution was obtained for the rubblized material on the surface. The rubble zone at the surface was ideal for in situ leaching. Fragmentation to depths of 110 ft was excellent from the 15- to 20-ft blasthole spacing patterns. Good breakage was also produced by the 25-ft pattern although the effects of the blast were not as obvious. In situ leaching tests were not conducted. However, based on size consideration only, all three blasting patterns produced adequate breakage for successful leaching.

Jan 1, 1974

By H. M. Chance

WITHIN the last 10 years the subject of mine taxation in its relation to coal-mining interests has come to have growing importance, not only to those engaged in the mining of coal, but also to the owners of land underlain by coal. A disposition has developed among legislators to accept the principle, which has been laid down y many judicial decisions, that coal underlying the surface must be regarded as a part of the real value of all properties so underlain, and as such is chargeable with such burdens of taxation as the necessities of the government may impose. These necessities arise from the normal expense of maintaining State and local governments, and in the past have been met principally by, taxes based upon assessments of real estate values, which values in many cases have been confined principally or wholly to the value of the surface, without taking into consideration the value of minerals underlying the surface. It is not proposed here to deal with the question of Federal taxation, whether levied on production, or on products transported from one State to another, or exported from the country, or upon thegross or net earnings of corporations engaged in interstate commerce, or upon the production of materials which may be transported from one State to another, or levied. upon the profits or upon the obligations of corporations. The present discussion will be confined to the appraisal of coal lands as assessed for State, county, township, or borough taxation. The methods heretofore and at present in use in the different States vary widely and have resulted in more or less litigation. Discussions appearing from time to time in the technical and trade journals and in the proceedings of mining and engineering associations frequently direct attention to the need for the adoption of fixed principle in levying taxes, and of uniform methods for applying such principles, but there does not seem to be a general demand from the public for the adoption of such methods.

Jan 7, 1914

By Richard L. Gordon

Minerals long have been important commodities in international trade. As an inevitable result, the governments of the world have employed a wide variety of programs that affect the flow of trade. Roughly speaking, we may distinguish between the desire of more developed countries (MDCs) like the United States, western Europe, and Japan to control imports of minerals and the concern of less developed countries (LDCs), like India, about exploiting and exporting their minerals. The terminology used to describe different countries and the classification of specific countries into groups is unsettled and often changing. The poorest countries have been characterized as backward, undeveloped, underdeveloped, and developing. The problem seems to be in selecting a term that is both accurate and polite. Less developed seems, for reasons outlined by Hagen [pp. 51-57], the most convenient term. The borderline between an LDC and an MDC is always open to dispute. Objective measures are difficult to develop because of deficiencies in basic data, and enormous conceptual problems arise in making valid comparisons from even good data [see Hagen, pp. 7-28]. Thus, policies of the MDCs can be evaluated chiefly by using a few basic arguments for protectionist attitudes towards international trade. In dealing with the LDCs, a more far-ranging evaluation that covers general economic policy goals, the role of foreign investment, and the indirect effects of trade is required. This duality breaks down when trying to deal with the depressed areas in an MDC; here the issues are more akin to those associated with problems in an LDC. Similarly, variants of arguments used in LDCs appear in debates about foreign investments in MDCs. The whole discussion of minerals in LDCs, moreover, has obvious implications for MDCs like Canada and Australia. They, too, must face problems about the best utilization of their resources. THE RESTRICTION OF MINERAL TRADE BY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES[a] At least to some extent, the world's leading industrial nations have intervened to control the inflow of minerals. Such regulation is particularly pronounced for energy. Both the United States and western Europe employ

Jan 1, 1976

By William D. Schwab

In the technical literature of 1965 and 1966, there were several papers about future power for mining and construction equipment. Most of these papers made the same predictions: •More power •Better reliability and durability •Ease of service and maintenance •Operating economy •The possibility of future environmental concern •The entrance of the gas turbine In the five years that have since passed, some of the 1965-66 predictions have at least partially come true, while others have not been fully realized. Actually the list still appears sound today. Priorities may have changed and details may be different, but the main points cover the requirements for future prime movers quite well.

Jan 1, 1971

By R. Hogg

The mathematical description of solids transport in mills is an important aspect of the development of comprehensive models for the analysis, simulation and control of grinding systems. The basic mechanisms of particle transport and mixing, including gravity flow, carrier fluid transport, and "diffusion", are reviewed and their relative importance in wet and dry ball mills is discussed. Specific models for transport and mixing in dry, grate-discharge and wet, overflow ball mills are described. The limitations of the models, parameter estimation problems, scale-up criteria etc. are discussed and the conditions which lead to particle size dependent transport, and hence to internal classification in the mill, are described in detail.

Jan 1, 1984

By R. P. Killmeyer, B. S. Gottfried, J. T. Wizzard

The US Department of Energy's Coal Preparation Branch has developed a computer program to calculate the performance characteristics of coal washing devices. This program uses specific gravity analyses of the clean coal and refuse streams as input, and generates dependent and independent performance criteria for the washer. Partition curves are internally represented in a functional form by a Weibull function. Comparisons are made between performance criteria calculated by hand and the performance criteria calculated by the program for 120 different dense medium cyclone tests. Results show that the computer program gives results in close agreement with hand-calculated values while greatly reducing the amount of time involved in performing the analyses.

Jan 1, 1984

By E. H. Crabtree, T. C. King

THE ferrosilicon grinding unit at the Central Mill of the Eagle-Picher Mining & Smelting Co. near Picher, Okla., was completed in March 1947. The object of the plant was to grind pigs of ferrosilicon, having a size of approximately 1 ½ by 4 by 12 in. and an analysis of 85 pct Fe and 15 pct Si, to approximately 100 mesh by crushing and wet grinding in a ball-mill classifier circuit. The minus-loo mesh ferrosilicon had formerly been purchased, and was used as medium in the heavy media process for treatment of lead-zinc ores. From the standpoint of dollars and cents, the cost of minus-100 mesh ferrosilicon was roughly $40.00 per ton more than pigs of the corresponding alloy delivered to the mill. Estimated wet grinding costs were considerably below this figure. The possible saving in cost of make-up medium for the cone plant was particularly attractive since, at that time, the plant losses averaged over four tons of minus-100 mesh ferrosilicon per day. Aside from the probable saving on the grinding charge, the need for such a unit was twofold. First, periodic fluctuations in the differential between the top and bottom densities of the cone were thought to be detrimental to metallurgy. There was little doubt that an intermediate differential existed at which the heavy media separation was most efficient, representing a compromise between concentrate grade and tailing loss. Furthermore, if a finer, but considerably cleaner, medium could be obtained, there was the possibility that the differential could be decreased without increasing the viscosity, or conversely, the viscosity of the medium decreased without increasing the differential. Preliminary to experimental work aimed at pegging the cone differential and circulating medium viscosity at whatever values were found to be most efficient, it was essential to have control over both the non-magnetic content of the medium and the particle size of the contained ferrosilicon. The latter was possible by means of a grinding unit at the mill. Second, whereas the ferrosilicon alloys are made by a number of manufacturers, only two, to our knowledge, grind it in any quantity for use in heavy media plants. For all practical purposes, the Central Mill was limited to one source of supply, a particularly vulnerable position. In case the supply was cut off, it was thought that pigs of the 85 pct Fe, 15 pct Si alloy could be obtained elsewhere, providing means of grinding them was available. There was no published information available covering wet grinding of ferrosilicon. Dry grinding in batch mills and in continuous mills with air classification was being practiced, but the cost of grinding was excessive and the dust condition objectionable. It appeared that primary and secondary crushing was no particular problem, providing heavy duty equipment was used;

Jan 1, 1947

By O. C. Ralston

THE use of copper sulfate for improving the flotation behavior of sphalerite is probably at least 15 years old. The original discovery of its activating influence is somewhat obscure. The story goes that in the mill at Mascot, Tenn., its favorable action was discovered by accident, early in 1914, as follows: The original laboratory test work on a sphalerite ore gave favorable flotation results, but after a mill had been built the flotation concentration of the ore was very unsatisfactory. In diagnosing the probable reasons, one fact pointed out was that the laboratory test machine had been constructed of bronze whereas the commercial machine allowed pulp to come in contact only with wood and iron. A plate of sheet copper was hung in the flotation machine and results immediately improved. At first fanciful explanations of electrolytic and electrostatic behavior were given credence, but when the copper plate was removed and a small amount of copper sulfate substituted in the pulp an even more favorable result was obtained. Toward the end of 1914 copper sulfate was also adopted in the acid flotation circuit of the Butte and Superior Copper Co. Just who is responsible for the original discovery the present writers do not know: It seems strange that in that era of flotation litigation this discovery was not patented. While for pragmatic purposes it may be sufficient to know that the mere addition of copper compounds to a flotation pulp is sufficient to activate the flotation of the sphalerite, for scientific purposes it is quite desirable to know more about how the action takes place. It is the purpose of this paper to present certain evidence dealing with the mechanism of the beneficial effect. The description of the effect as activation in contradistinction to depression is now common in both the English and German languages. It makes no assumptions as to whether the zinc sulfide surfaces have been filmed with copper compounds. In fact, the principal differences of opinion expressed in the literature deal with whether there is an actual formation of CuS (or even Cu2S) on the surface of the sphalerite.

Jan 1, 1929

By Maurice E. Peloubet

This discussion of accounting will describe the statements and the information that the accounting system produces, from the point of view of those who use such systems rather than of those who prepare them and who do the detail and technical accounting work. In any well organized mine, quarry, or other enterprise exploiting a mineral deposit, no matter how small, some clerical and accounting work must be done. Miners and other employes must be paid, supplies must be purchased and issued, and various tax and information returns, which even the smallest enterprise must file, have to be prepared. In this chapter it is assumed that the enterprise has employes of this type and that they understand the fundamentals of record keeping and accounting. It would be impossible here to give sufficiently full explanations to enable a man with no previous clerical and accounting training to set up and operate an accounting and cost system for even the simplest extractive operation. Rather, we shall hope first, to tell the investor and the operator, from the chief engineer or president down to a subforeman, what to expect from the accounting statements and records and how to use this information in his daily work; and second, that it will enable the man with some knowledge of accounting or bookkeeping, but with little or no experience in any extractive industry, to set up and operate a satisfactory system for a mine or other extractive enterprise. For readers who wish to go further, the bibliography at the end of this chapter contains many references. The emphasis has, therefore, been placed on the statements to be produced and the purposes for which they are to be used rather than the underlying books and records. These are, with a few exceptions which will be described later, essentially what might be found in any industrial enterprise and would probably, in the extremely small enterprise, consist of handwritten journals, ledgers, analysis books, payroll books, and stores ledgers. In the larger enterprise, various types of mechanical accounting would be introduced in proportion to the complexity of the operation.

Jan 1, 1959

By Walter H. Ortel, George B. Wallace

INTRODUCTION A greater understanding is required about the factors which control tunneling operations if we are to meet the expected demand for tunnels. Much of the needed information can best be achieved by the proper use of instrumentation and advanced engineering concepts. Tunnel measurements and their analysis may prove to be the key which will give the insight necessary to understand the relationship of rock, tunnel supports, and linings. There are three main areas which can be improved through the use of tunnel instrumentation. First, and of prime importance, is safety for men and the project. When unstable conditions occur, sets become distorted. Even without measurements, it is sometimes possible to tell when trouble is approaching. In effect, the set acts as a load cell. Distortions in the set indicate reinforcements may be required to maintain stability. Additional sets or rock bolts, if they are placed soon enough, may provide this stability. However, when large rock displacements occur in short periods of time, it could be too late. Figure 1 is an example of the difficulties encountered in stopping moving rock. To stop the movement and possible failure, large props were placed above the spring line and the massive concrete gravity buttress was constructed along the legs. Rock bolts from the buttress deep into the rock were also used in an attempt to stabilize the rock mass. However, this work is for a highway tunnel and eventually these props and buttresses must be removed.

Jan 1, 1971

By Herbert H. Kellogg

DEPOSITS of high-silica kaolinite clays occur at many places in central Pennsylvania. These white clays were formed apparently by weathering of argillaceous quartzite and limestone. Their geology, distribution and use have been reported by Leighton.1 The larger deposits have been mined from time to time, and the clay, after washing to remove coarse sand, has found use as rubber filler, foundry clay, and in white cements. In general, the clay from these deposits contains too much grit (quartz) to be useful as paper filler, and the silica content is too high to make it useful as china clay for ceramic ware. Gravity methods for the separation of quartz from these clays have failed because of the extremely fine size of the quartz grains, but by the methods of froth flotation described in this paper these sandy kaolins can be made to yield a purified kaolinite that has a chemical composition close to that of good-grade Georgia kaolins, and is free enough from grit to be used as a paper filler. As by-products of the separation, a fine (-325-mesh) sand assaying 95.5 per cent Si02, and a very fine (-3-micron) clay are produced. The possible ceramic uses of these products are being investigated at The Pennsylvania State College. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The Sample.-The clay sample used in these tests was obtained from a small mine near Tyrone, Pa. It had already been washed to remove coarse sand, and represented the finished product of this small mine and washery. Microscopic examination showed that the clay was composed almost entirely of the minerals quartz and kaolinite, and that the quartz was present mostly in particles larger than one micron, while the kaolinite particles generally were less than 20 microns in size. The kaolinite and quartz particles were physically separable by blunging the clay in water with a suitable dispersant. Preparation of Flotation Feed.-By the addition of NaOH in an amount equal to 3 lb. per ton of solids, the clay was completely dispersed in water. Flotation feed was prepared by allowing a dispersed suspension (10 per cent solids) of the clay to stand for the period of time required for a 2.5-micron particle of quartz to settle from the top of the container to the bottom. After this settling period the suspension was decanted from the settled solids. The settled solids were redispersed in water and the separation was repeated once. The two fine fractions were then combined. Thus the clay was divided into a fine and a coarse fraction by size separation at approximately 2.5 microns.* The fine fraction was found to have a considerably lower sand content than the raw clay (Table I), and was not treated further. The coarse fraction formed the flotation feed for all the tests described in this paper.

Jan 1, 1945

By R. M. Stewart

INTRODUCTION Requirements for achieving economic slope stability in open pit mining must not only be met during the operating stages but in all preceding stages of mine development. In many operating mines little or no emphasis was ever placed on evaluating the stability of possible slopes during the exploration and planning stages. The purpose of this discussion is to emphasize the necessary considerations that should be made in all stages of development in order to achieve the safest and most economic pit slopes. The most economic slopes may not always be the safest slopes and it is incumbent upon the mine operators and engineers to achieve an optimal combination of economics and safety. The stability requirements outlined are based on the profit motive and are, therefore, practically oriented. Long-term basic research or theoretical studies are considered important only to the extent that they can be shown to have a definite payoff. Consideration will first be given to the information required for stability analysis, which can be determined during the exploration and evaluation stage, followed by further stability work necessary during the mine planning and layout stage. Particular emphasis is then placed on the operating stage in which blasting, dewatering, artificial stabilization, and slope failure are discussed. Lastly, the importance of a logical and orderly research procedure is stressed. EXPLORATION AND EVALUATION STAGE The purpose of the exploration and evaluation stage in the mining scheme is to find and delineate a potential orebody. Discovery and delineation commonly involve drilling tens and in many cases hundreds of boreholes. These boreholes, which may cost as much as $20.00 per foot of depth for a cored hole, are usually abandoned once drilling is completed. Stability evaluation for a potential open pit should begin at this stage by taking advantage of the existing boreholes. Rock and soil properties, as well as hydrologic parameters, may be obtained from both the borehole and the core. Seismic velocity and neutron probes may be used to log the borehole to obtain elastic moduli data. A borehole dilation jack may also be used to give backup information on the rock and soil elastic parameters. Use of a core orientation system can result in the determination of fault and joint frequency and distribution. Before splitting or otherwise disturbing the fresh core, qualitative evaluation

Jan 1, 1972

By Paul K. Krueger

SUMMARY Since 1970 the Federal Preparedness Agency has been using computer models to help establish the amounts of strategic and critical materials to be held in the National Stockpile. Fifty-three of these materials are metals or minerals. The following diagram shows the linkage of models used to estimate material requirements. [ ] The starting point for the models are estimates of the major components of GNP for some future period. These may be estimates purchased from a forecasting service or may be produced in-house. The projections are translated into industrial final demands using DITT (Demand Impact Transformation Tables), a system developed at FPA. Then using a version of the current Bureau of Economic Analysis input-output model, estimates are made of the gross output of each industry necessary to support the level and composition of GNP as specified by the macro-economic model.

Jan 1, 1977

By R. C. Good

Slag control for any kind of steel, rimming, straight carbon or alloy, should start with the charge and be developed well in advance of the tap because its composition, viscosity and temperature will unquestionably govern the physical and chemical properties of the steel when tapped. In the majority of plants producing alloy steels, primary consideration is given to the chemical specifications; physical characteristics usually occupy secondary place in the melter's mind. Recently, however, buyers have indicated limits of machinability, hardenability, grain size and, of course, always wanted steel free from foreign nonmetallic inclusions. It is these latter specifications that require the attention of the operator to the slag and its control. The slag must act as a vehicle for oxidized elements originating from the metallic portion of the charge; it should hold the oxides of phosphorus, silicon, manganese, iron and chromium that come into contact with it either before or after the refining and finishing stage of the heat. It must be used as a transferring medium of oxygen from the atmosphere or oxide additions to the metal and should permit a free escape of gas generated within the charge. Finally, the slag is the principal controlling factor in regulating the rate of oxidation which in turn eventually determines the quality of the steel as measured for the various characteristics mentioned above. With pig iron of uniform composition, the iron oxide in the slag increases as the limestone is increased but with the same addition of stone in every heat, the iron oxide decreases as the silicon is increased in the charge, and vice versa.

Jan 1, 1935