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Solvent extraction has recently been introduced into Australian hydrometallurgical practice for the production of a high grade uranium concentrate from El Sherana ore by a sulphuric acid leach and solvent extraction process. The solvent is a 5 per cent solution of tri(iso-octyl)amine in kerosene modified with 4 per cent of a long chain alcohol. The stripping reagent is a molar solution of sodium chloride.Preliminary testing for the development of the process showed that the leach liquor was quite amenable to the solvent extraction process and that the equilibrium and rate considerations of both the extraction and stripping steps were very favourable.The industrial plant contains four stages of extraction, three stages of chloride stripping and one stage of secondary carbonate stripping. An internal type of mixer-settler is used for the stagewise contact, the design being based on tests with model equipment.The performance and control of the industrial plant is satisfactory; 99·7 per cent of the uranium is recovered for a loss of 0·3 gallons of kerosene and 0· 4 pounds of amine per 1,000 gallons of liquor treated.INTRODUCTIONThe processing of El Sherana uranium ore from the South Alligator River valley commenced in April, 1959, and thereby introduced into Australian hydrometallurgical practice the unit operation of solvent extraction on an industrial scale. Although there are now some twelve mineral processing plants in the United States and Canada using solvent extraction, its application to the field of primary hydrometallurgy is quite new. Prior to 1956 none of these twelve plants was operating and hydrometallurgical application waslimited to the refining of comparatively high grade uranium compounds and fission products from nitrate and nitric acid solutions.

Jan 1, 1961

By Keith A. Heasley

Numerous different instruments and techniques have been developed for the purpose of measuring rock stress and stress changes around excavations. The interpretation of the output from many of these instruments has often been problematic. This paper covers the research performed in attempting to analyze one particular stress measuring instrument called the Borehole Platened Flatjack (BPF) . The approach used in this analysis was to combine the analytical solution for the displacements around a borehole and the analytical solution for the bore- hole-platen interaction with the empirical stiffness behavior of the flatjack. The resulting model of the BPF response was then verified using measured laboratory data with very good results. In addition, techniques for applying the method to the field are briefly discussed. The major accomplishments of this comprehensive modeling and testing program are; 1) the establishment of the critical installation and site parameters of the hydraulic pressure cell and 2) the development of a systematic procedure for calibrating the cell based on the given values of these critical parameters.

Jan 1, 1989

By Steve Skelhorn

Edmonton South LRT is the latest expansion of the Subway system in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Consisting of twin 5.8m segmental lined tunnels, 280m long, driven by a Lovat EPB machine. The key challenges were as follows. A 6% downhill grade. Tight radius curves of 250m.Overlying structures within 3m of the tunnel. Strata consisting of sand above the water table, glacial tills and bed rock below the water table. Located within The University of Alberta Campus and adjacent to a hospital. Northern Alberta climate with winter temperatures routinely falling below—minus 30 degrees Celsius. This paper provides a case history and outlines the challenges involved in completing this project.

Jan 1, 2005

By Casey Erickson

Goldstrike Property ??Located in Elko, NV USA?Carlin Trend ??Mining Since 1985 ??27 Million Ounces of Gold Mined ??Production of 400,000 tons/day ??1,600 Employees

May 1, 2011

By Mohammed Sakr

The use of helical piles as a deep foundation option has considerably increased in the recent years to support a variety of loads, from small loads for several applications such as residential housing, solar farms, utilities and retrofit projects, to large loads for many applications such as commercial, power transmission lines, oil facilities and industrial applications. Therefore, it is necessary to qualify and quantify their axial capacities and performance characteristics. This paper presents the first full-scale axial compression and tension (uplift) testing program executed on large capacity helical piles installed in cohesionless soils. A total of eleven pile load tests using either single or double-helix piles with shaft diameters that varied between 324 mm to 508 mm (12¾ in to 20 in) were carried out, including seven axial compression tests and four tension (uplift) tests. The results of the axial compressive and tensile pile load tests as well as field monitoring data of helical piles installed in dense sand are presented in this paper. Based on the results of this study it was found that helical piles have developed significant resistance to axial compressive loads up to about 2920 kN (656 kips) and tensile loads up to 2900 kN (652 kips).

Jan 1, 2011

By M Swart, H Ståhlbröst, P Toor

Development of SAG liners has always been a strong focus and interest in mineral processing as SAG liners significantly impact on plant performance (throughput and grind size), material costs and plant downtime. SAG shell relines typically determine the frequency and duration of plant shutdowns. Early SAG shell liner designs relied heavily on practical experiences and were limited in their size due to weight restrictions. Significant developments in Discrete Element Method (DEM) modelling, material and manufacturing technologies and larger reline machines have resulted in new and improved liner designs. This paper discusses the evolution of SAG shell liner design and its progression to the Skip Row design. Case studies have been provided for the Skip Row design in a variety of applications such as Single Stage SAG (SSS), SAG and Ball (SAB), SAG and Ball with Crushing (SABC) and Pre-Crush at a variety of mill diameters ranging from 24 foot to 34 foot. A detailed assessment has also been carried out comparing liner service life, ease of reline and performance (throughput, power and grind size) for a large 34 foot SAG mill when compared to the previous design.CITATION:Toor, P, Swart, M and Ståhlbröst, H, 2017. The evolution of SAG shell lining and introduction of the skip row design, in Proceedings MetPlant 2017, pp 158–184 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 11, 2017

By Dennis Molvik, Roberto J. Guardia, Brad Cowles, Rick Andrews, Robert A. Robinson

A 220-meter (m) segment of the Henderson/ ML King Combined Sewer Overflow(CSO) consists of two 1.8-meter-inside diameter (I.D.) pipe-jacked tunnels that pass beneath Interstate-5 and the BNSF and UPRR railroads. A seismic tomography survey was conducted to develop a 3-dimensional profile of the tunnel zone and better define potential obstructions. The tomography was conducted through three 11 cm high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes installed in a triangular pattern around the future tunnel alignments using horizontal directional drilling methods. The pipe-jacked tunnels have been successfully completed, thus permitting a comparison between the predicted obstructions and those actually encountered. The top HDPE tomography pipe was also used to monitor settlements with an experimental horizontal profiler above the advancing tunnels during construction and located two areas of ground loss beneath I-5 that were subsequently grouted.

Jan 1, 2005

By E. J. Gleim

An important phase in the Bureau of Mines investigation of electrical machines designed for operation in gassy coal mines is testing enclosures of electrical components for explosion-proof qualities. In brief, this testing consists of filling and surrounding the enclosure with an explosive atmosphere of methane and air and then igniting the atmosphere within the enclosure to determine (1) Whether the resulting explosion is confined without discharge of flame; (2) whether the enclosure walls are permanently distorted; and (3) whether excessive pressures are developed within the enclosure. Ordinarily, the pressures encountered in routine testing do not exceed 100 pounds per square inch gage. Hence, the designer of the machine does not have too much difficulty in taking corrective measures to prevent flame discharge and distortion of the enclosure. Occasionally, however, the explosion pressures greatly exceed 100 pounds. Then the goblet of the designer may not be solved so readily, From experience over the year 0, the testing personnel often can predict that certain construction will result in high. Pressures, but, only in a very general way, has it been possible to advise designers what modifications might be made to reduce the explosion pressures to normal values. For example, if high pressures were developed in a motor starter having a partition with an opening through it, some enlargement of the opening may appear to be the logical procedure, but it has not been- possible to give information concerning the exact amount the opening should be enlarged to prevent development of high pressures .

Jan 1, 1952

By Turner WG, Short RR

Obviously, the paramount advantages of contract mining have been recognised by mine developers throughout Australia, as evidenced by surface gold mining operations of significant output almost exclusively being performed under contract. These paramount advantages of using an experienced professionally managed contractor result from the mine developer being freed from financing the required relatively large capital expenditure at current relatively high interest rates or in a capital scarce stock market, and from the need to recruit and sustain a large operating work force in a competitive labour market.

Jan 1, 1990

By J. H. Daniel, S. Krzemien

Partners In Economic Reform, Inc., established a Polish-American Mine Center in Katowice, Poland, in 1996 to improve working conditions in the minerals industry. The program was based on the experience of mining companies, government, and labor in the United States, and was executed by a Coordinating Committee headed by the Center Director and Polish leaders from industry, State, labor, and academia. The cooperation among all parties has enabled safety and health issues to become part of industry restructuring with impressive initial reductions in coal mine fatalities. Existing work practices and attitudes of labor and management were assessed in coal mines throughout the country. Promotion, Rules, and Job and Task Analysis were identified as the areas requiring the most improvement, and are part of a post-graduate Safety Management program. Demonstration projects included measuring dust levels, using safety glasses, and promoting hazard awareness. Improved labor-management relations increased cooperation allowing for effective transfer of technology. Results can also be applied to improve the working environment of the manufacturing sector also undergoing restructuring.

Jan 1, 2001

Further evidence is presented as to the widespread occurrence of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans in nature in association with sulphide minerals. Leaching rates are discussed in terms of the effect of environmental parameters, particularly Eh and pH, on the bacterial process.The methods used to investigate leaching phenomena are described and the advantages and limitations of each method are discussed. A theoretical treatment of the bacterial leaching process is given which indicates that the optimum conditions arrived at by traditional methods are compatible with those deduced from consideration of the mathematics of continuous culture and thermodynamics

Jan 1, 1968

By Stefano Scubla

DANIELI Q-MELT is the latest evolution of EAF concept to automatically control each stage of the melting process, from the electric power planning to the combustion optimization as well as the slag and steel metallurgy management for every operation required in the EAF cycle. The core of the automation system is the Melt-Model that automatically identifies deviations of the process control variables and corrects them to avoid losses or wasting of available energy sources. The real-time online off-gas analysis, via the in-situ laser system, promotes the process tracking and permits further optimization by a viable closed-loop control acting on fuel and oxygen postcombustion. A suite of supplementary stand-alone Technological Packages integrates the Q-MELT to further maximize the productive time and the utilization factor, supporting the operators to limit downtimes, avoiding misoperations and/or mistakes.

Aug 16, 2017

The basic objectives of mine roadways are to provide sufficient cross sections in order to meet the needs of accommodation of equipment, transport, personnel travel and ventilation. However, many roadways become damaged to the extent of needing maintenance, generally dinting, and in some cases requiring re-ripping. The damaging of a roadway is a result of several factors including geological properties of surrounding strata, method of roadway formation, type and spacing of support and so on. Among these factors, strata conditions play an important effect on the stability of roadway. Weak rocks cause excessive roadway closures and water softens some rocks and promotes the closure problem. In this paper, a scientific discussion on the effect of water on the stability of roadways is given on the basis of results obtained by means of in-situ investigation and laboratory rock tests.

Jan 1, 1996

IN previous discussions on the occurrence of gold in the Bendigo quartz reefs the opinion has been put forward that the gold shoots are primary concentrations in the quartz reefs during the period of vein-formation. The view has been based upon the constant features of the gold shoots in a large number of individual reefs, independent of their depth below the surface. These features include the mineral associations accompanying the gold, the appearance and association of the gold in the quartz, the similarity in all respects (excepting mineral content) between richly gold-bearing quartz and poor quartz, and the variations in mineral content in the reef apart from gold. The view has been supported by a relation of the gold shoots to faults, together with the dependence of the reefs on the existence of pre-mineral faulting. The secondary deposition of gold has only been observed in a few instances .associated with the younger monchiquite dykes, and is of no economic importance.

Jan 1, 1922

By R. H. Seraphim

"Western Mines Limited produces gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc from a number of Paleozoic volcanogenic deposits near Buttle Lake on Vancouver Island. The deposits were emplaced along a series of submarine linear volcanic ridges that extended for at least 6,000 metres in a northwesterly direction.Rock types mapped include: andesitic, dacitic and rhyolitic flow s and volcanic breccias; detrital breccias, tuffs and hematitic silts; black and green cherts; and a variety of dykes and sills, including quartz porphyry and diorite. Orebodies are associated invariably, and in places intimately, with quartzsericite schist and rhyolitic rocks. The ore is complex, varying in mineralogy and tenor both within each deposit and from one deposit to another.Recent studies have increased our knowledge of the structure and left no doubt that the orebodies were deposited both within the throats of the linear vents and on paleoslopes adjacent to these vents.IntroductionWestern Mines Limited operates an 850-tonne-per-day mine, located 85 km south of Campbell River, B.C. The mine is at approximately 400 metres elevation, near the south end of Buttle Lake on Vancouver Island (Fig . I). It has operated since early 1967 and produced 3,650,000 tonnes with an average grade of 1.9 g (0.06 oz) gold, 93 g (3.0 oz) silver, 1.6 per cent copper, 1.0 per cent lead and 7.5 per cent zinc per tonne by the end of 1978. Current reserves are 1,157,000 tonnes of 2.7 g (0.09 oz) gold, 117 g (3 .8 oz) silver , 1.2 per cent copper, 1.2 per cent lead and 8.0 percent zinc per tonne (December 31, 1978).Ore from one zone, known as Myra High-Grade, is mined and milled separately because of its grade. Ore milled prior to December 31,1978, plus reserves, 180,715 tonnes of6.6 g (0.21 oz) gold, 554.5 g (17 .7 oz) silver, 0 .8 per cent copper, 3.2 per cent lead and 10.6 per cent zinc are included in the figures listed in the preceding paragraphs."

Jan 1, 1980

By Robert C. Rabeler

Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc. (SME) has utilized drilled cast-in-place (D-CIP) piles on a number of projects in the midwest. These foundation systems have typically consisted of drilling an 8 to 9-inch diameter borehole with a rotary type drill rig or driving a casing with a small hammer. A structural steel member is installed in the center of the excavated space, and the borehole or casing is grouted to complete the installation of the D-CIP pile. This type of piling system has also been called: mini-pile, micro-pile, or drilled-in pier. The capacity of these piles varies depending upon subsurface conditions, as well as the structural capacity of the pile. The structural capacity can be modified based on the size and yield strength of the structural steel member. SME has used the D-CIP piles for underpinning of lightly-loaded structures for a number of years. Steel brackets can be welded to the structural steel member in the center of these piles, and the bracket extended underneath existing foundations to provide proper foundation support. D-CIP piles have also been used for new construction where access was limited. Recently, SME had the opportunity of providing design as well as construction monitoring services for a unique project where these piles were used, but at much higher capacity. The project involved adding seven additional floors on top of a five-story building (total of 12 stories). New columns were extended through the existing building to support the new floors. Access to construct foundations was available to one level of underground parking beneath the structure, as well as to a basement area. Access required equipment to travel through a 3-foot wide hallway. A special duplex drilling machine was used to access the foundation locations and to install the piles in a limited headroom condition. Eight-inch diameter D-CIP piles were extended to a depth of approximately 40 to 50 feet below grade and socketed into a dense clay till or sandstone, and No. 18 or No. 20 threaded bars were installed in the center of these piles. The design pile capacity was as high as 190 kips and were verified by a compression load test. The load test was performed with limited access and headroom. These piles were installed by Spencer White and Prentis Foundation Corporation (SWP). For conditions where rock or hard soils are encountered at reasonable depths, D-CIP piles can provide working load capacities comparable to larger driven steel piles. The ability of the equipment to access very restricted areas, combined with the high capacities results in a very attractive solution to a number of difficult foundation problems.

Jan 1, 1999

By Louis R. Iverson

Patterns of species colonization, biochemical interaction among species, and competitive phenomena were studied in four reclaimed areas in western North Dakota ranging in age from one to four years after mining, along with a site from a native mixed grass prairie for comparison. Early successional changes in floristic composition and soil chemistry were quantified. The mined sites had been contoured, topsoiled, fertilized and seeded. Despite seeding of agronomic species, initial colonization was by fugitive species; analysis of the seed bank in topsoil showed that the most dominant colonizers immigrate after topsoiling. Of the 95 species encountered, Kuchia scoparia was the most dominant in the first two years following mining. Kochlo had relatively low densities in the first year (50-80 plants m-2), but was robust and attained heights of 88 cm with a biomass of about 400 g m-2 In the second year, the plant densities increased to over 10,000 plants m"2 but the height and biomass were reduced to 15 cm and 90 g m-2. However, during the third and fourth years Kochia density declined and was practically non-existent by the fourth year, while the planted Agropyron grasses had concomitantly increased. Other pioneers like Amaran thus retroflexus, Chenopodlum album, Helianthus annuus, Salsola spp. And Setaria spp. showed a less abrupt but similar decline. Chemical analysis of the soils over the same time period showed decreases in electrical conductivity (E.C.), and in the concentrations of P, Ca, Mg, Na, Li, Sr, and SO4 (due to leaching), while N increased. Field studies were conducted on the competitive relations between the dominant species - Kochia scoparia and Agropyron spp. - during early succession. It was found the Kochia acted as a "nurse" crop for several months during the first year of Agropyron spp. establishment, but then began to shade heavily by late July, thus reducing grass tillering. Field and growth chamber experiments on the intraspecific competition relations of Kochia demonstrated that its density and dry matter production, per plant and per unit area, conformed to several laws of plant population biology. Autotoxicity or the depression in growth of a species by its own degradation compounds, in Kochia, appears to be the main factor causing the decline in its growth. Results from a field experiment indicated that thinning dense second year Kochia stands to the density of first year stands did not alter the growth of Kochia, providing strong evidence for autotoxicity. Similarly, several growth chamber experiments demonstrated that small amounts of decaying Kochia leaves and especially roots were toxic to Kochia growth, but not Melilotus officinalis or Agropyron canlnum, Chemical analysis of the soils and plant tissues indicated nutritional im¬balances as shown by P/Mn and P/Zn ratios may be responsible for autotoxicity. In addition to Kochia, a bioassay experiment showed allelochemics to be important in several other colonizing species. Although our results indicate that later stage species generally have greater toxicities than first year colonizers, autotoxicity in the very initial stages seems to be accentuated by harsh habitat conditions. Several practices (mowing. fire, etc.) are used to manage grasslands. Mowing of the first year erect, annual, colonizing vegetation was shown to be beneficial in the growth and establishment of wheatgrasses after mining in western North Dakota. Plots containing Kochio predominantly were mowed in mid-and late-July, and in mid-August, during the first year of growth after recontouring, replacing topsoil. seeding and fertilizing. It was found the Kochia densities were reduced to two percent of the control and its biomass reduced to less than one-third when the area was mowed in mid-August. On the other hand, wheatgrasses showed increases of 23% in stem density and 860% in biomass production over the controls when mowed in mid-August. The mowing of Kochia just before seed-set apparently reduces interspecific competition between Kochia and Agropyron spp. during the following growing season. The method is highly recommended for use in hastening the establishment of planted grasses.

Jan 1, 1982

By W. G. Pariseau

A crown pillar cave occurred at the Ropes Mine in December, 1987, that resulted in closure of the mine. Production was resumed soon afterwards with the formulation of a rock mechanics plan designed to address several issues of safety and stability. The plan proved to be successful and shows what can be accomplished in the realm of applied rock mechanics where a cooperative atmosphere exists.

Jan 1, 1989

By N Stoitis, L Lien, B Tapley

The treatment of hypersaline waters originating from numerous gold projects within the Western Australian Goldfields region via membrane technology has been assessed. A combination of Ultra-filtration (UF) and Nano-filtration (NF) using Ecotechnol’s modified elements effectively removes the polyvalent ions responsible for the high lime and cyanide consumption as well as the prevalence of scale formation characteristic of gold operations in this region. Through removing up to 98% magnesium, 94% calcium and 99.7% sulfates from hypersaline water with total dissolved solids from 40,000mg/L to 250,000mg/L, Ecotechnol and subsequent independent tests have demonstrated up to an 87% reduction in lime consumption and through the ability to increase the operating leach pH, reduce cyanide consumption by up to 28%.CITATION:Tapley, B, Stoitis, N and Lien, L, 2015. Modified nano-filtration membrane treatment of hyper-saline goldfields water – an overview and benefits to gold plant operation and economics, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 431–463 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015

By Fathi Habashi

"Crushing and grinding of ores and their beneficiation by washing away gangue minerals has been practiced since ancient times. Primitive crushing was done by hand pounding the ore with a hard stone then by using metallic hammers. The mortar and pestle was mechanized using a lever and when the size of operations increased in the middle ages, the stamp mill was introduced. The grindstone played an important role in grinding of ores. Panning for gold and hand sorting of minerals were two old methods of separation, now gave way to modern techniques. Flotation started in the middle of the nineteenth century by using oils to collect the mineral particles and float them on the surface of the aqueous slurry. It was only in the 1920s when it was discovered that organic compounds were affective floating agents. Textbooks written by distinguished engineers such as Rittinger, Rickard, Pryor, Taggart, Richards, Gaudin, and others contributed to the recognition of this field as a new discipline to be taught in Universities. INTRODUCTIONThe ancient Egyptians knew already that it would be easier to melt an earth rich in gold particles than another which is poor. As a result all efforts were made to enrich the gold by washing away the light gangue minerals (Figure 1). Another ancient method for enriching gold particles from a river stream was by means of fleece, hence the Greek myth of the “golden fleece”. The present day Georgia was known in ancient times as Colchis and was a center for gold working. It was known to the ancient Greek as the land of Golden Fleece. The use of special cloth to catch gold particles was also described by Agricola in his 1555 book De Re Metallica (Figure 2)."

Jan 1, 2009