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By José Arce

El sistema AG-DAS entró en operaciones en 2015 y su aplicación tiene diversas ventajas sobre el método de polarización inducida convencional. El concepto del sistema fue el uso de múltiples receptores de dos canales, que registran la señal completa con sincronización de tiempo por GPS. La tecnología DAS (sistemas de configuración distribuida, por sus siglas en inglés) brinda mayor confiabilidad en la detección y modelamiento tridimensional de mineralización metálica con geometría compleja a profundidades de hasta más de 800 metros.

May 22, 2019

By William G. Doepken

With most of the mining industry emerging from the deepest business recession in 50 years, primary attention must be given to surviving in a business climate where dominant foreign competition, depressed prices, and potential overcapacity hang heavy over much of the industry. While already shackled with regulatory constraints, restrictive work rules, and high labor costs, mine operators are faced with the difficult task of reducing costs and improving productivity while operating at less than full capacity. To counter these nearly over-whelming factors, the mining industry must continue at the national level to seek regulatory relief and a rational policy toward foreign competition from government-controlled mines. In addition, dialogue with labor organizations must continue to minimize the impact of labor costs, cost escalators, and antiquated work practices. Although national and international actions have a tremendous impact on the future of domestic mining operations, local actions by mine operators to dramatically improve mining productivity will strengthen the industry's competitive stance. Before any substantial progress can be made, however, mine operators must recognize and define areas that depress productivity and establish goals and measures for improvement. Once problem areas are defined, a combination of technological and motivational concepts can be applied to improve productivity. Timing of Improvements While there is an immediate need for productivity improvements, only certain concepts offer near-term improvement potential while others must, of necessity, fit into a mid-range or long-range time frame. Near-term solutions (immediate to one year) likely will involve motivational concepts - work incentives and training - coupled with available technological concepts that require little capitalized development or site testing. Mid-range solutions (one to three years), by contrast, will include technological improvements in mining equipment, techniques, and systems automation. These concepts require a longer period of capitalized development and site testing before use. Long-range solutions (three years or more), which include adoption of new mining methods and computerized control systems, will appear only after prolonged research and capitalized development programs. Motivational Improvements Developing motivational con-

Jan 11, 1983

By M. F. Dlamini

The hydrodynamics of a hydrocyclone present a complex internal flow structure, the numerical simulation of which remains a non-trivial task. We report on three-dimensional water-only computational fluid dynamics (CFD) hydrocyclone flow field predictions and highlight some of the issues concerned with the development of a CFD model incorporating an air core. The potential for the application of CFD as a hydrocyclone design tool is also discussed. Physically realistic velocity profile predictions were obtained, which challenge the classical account of the hydrocyclone radial particle classification mechanism. A pressure field distribution consistent with literature reports was also predicted. Keywords: hydrocyclone, computational fluid dynamics (CFD),classification mechanism

Jan 1, 2005

The prospect of utilisation of phosphate ores which contain high P2O5 values associated with Al and Fe has produced a great deal of interest over many years. Processing options have generally been based on the utilisation of by-products which were required to offset the processing costs.   This paper presents a range of processing options which have been investigated at laboratory or technical scale on phosphate ores which predominantly consist of crandallite, CaAl3(PO4)2(OH)5.3H2O and millisite, Ca(NaK)Al6(PO4)4(OH)9.3H2O. Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) and Mt Weld (Western Australia) phosphate ores are good examples of such feedstocks. It is expected that these processes may also be applicable to such phosphate ores from other locations.

Jan 1, 1990

By M. Arlandi, J. C. Monge

In this paper, the finite element method is used to obtain deformations of a rock tunnel. More than 3,000 numerical simulations and calculations were carried out. The analysis of this results has allowed to achieve mathematical formulations and graphs, to obtain in advance support monitored displacements in tunnelling construction, so they can be predicted before excavation and supporting woks. The application of the presented formulations and charts will aid engineers to control tunnel monitoring, reducing decision time when problems occur. The analysis is limited to cases involving elastic behaviour of the terrain for tunnels of average to good quality in rock, and to excavation sections of average or smaller dimensions for road tunnels. The results show that, in all cases, mathematical expressions to obtain induced displacements around tunnel excavations, have similar pattern than Kirsch (1898) expressions for circular excavations. As corollary of the achieved results, a method to estimate in situ natural geostress ratio K0=sh/sv , by means of convergence measurements, is presented. In diesem Beitrag wurden die Verschiebungen eines Tunnels durch die Methode de Finiten Elemente berechnet. Mehr als 3000 numerische Simulationen und Berechnungen wurden ausgeführt. Die Analyse dieser Resultate hat es ermöglicht, mathematische Formeln und Grafiken zu entwickeln, die zur Voraussage der Verschiebungen in Tunnel dienen, auch unter Betrachtung der verschiedenartigen Abstützungen. So können die Verschiebungen vor den Erdarbeiten und dem Bau der Abstützung abgeschätzt werden. Die abgeleiteten Formeln und Grafiken werden vor allem einen grossen Dienst für Ingenieure bei der Mithilfe zu zeitsparenden Entscheidungen im Tunnelbau und bei der Tunnelkontrolle leisten. Die analysierten Fälle sind auf eine elastische Modellierung des Baugrunds beschränkt, sowie auf eine mittlere bis gute Qualität des Felsens und auf die Aushebung von Abtragungsabschnitten mittlerer oder geringer Grösse für den Strassenverkehr. Die Resultate zeigen, dass in allen Fällen die hergeleiteten Formeln zur Berechnung der durch den Tunnelbau verursachten Verschiebungen um den Tunnel die gleiche mathematische Struktur haben wie diejenigen von Kirsch (1898) für kreisförmigen Bodenaushub. Als Korollarium der ausgeführten Berechnungen wird eine Methode zur Abschätzung der vorherrschenden in situ Geospannungs-Verhälniss K0=sh/sv angegeben, die von den Messungen der Verschiebungen im Tunnel ausgeht. Dans cet article, la méthode des éléments finis est utilisée pour obtenir les déformations d’un tunnel creusé dans la roche. Plus de 3000 simulations numériques et calculs ont été effectuées. L’analyse de ces résultats a permis de définir des modèles mathématiques et des abaques afin de prédire, avant l’excavation et les travaux de soutènement, les déplacements auscultés pendant la construction du tunnel. L’application de ces modèles et abaques permettra donc aux ingénieurs de contrôler les déplacements durant l’auscultation du tunnel et de réduire le temps de décision lorsque des problèmes surviennent. L’analyse est limitée au cas du comportement élastique du terrain pour des tunnels creusés dans de la roche de moyenne a bonne qualité, et à de sections d’excavation de petites à moyennes dimensions pour des tunnels routiers. Les résultats montrent que, dans tous les cas, les expressions mathématiques permettant d’obtenir les déplacements induits autour des excavations de tunnel, présentent des similitudes avec celles de Kirsch (1898) pour des excavations circulaires. Comme corollaire aux résultats obtenus, une méthode pour estimer le rapport des

Jan 1, 2003

Ontario Operaations Mining Garson Stobie Copper Cliff North Copper Cliff South Creighton Mcreedy East Milling Clarabelle Mill Smelting Smelter Matte Processing Anode Casting Refining Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery Port Colborne Cobalt Refinery

May 1, 2007

By K. E. Robinson

Appendix A is an abridged extract of the report prepared by the Geotechnical and Structural Engineering Society of Idaho, and presents the results of their one-year study to evaluate the feasibility of disposing mill tailings by landfill construction. Appendix B describes the field and laboratory testing program completed by RDM to assess the effectiveness of a soil (slimes) liner as a means of seepage control to reduce the introduction of contaminants into the local ground water regime. Appendix C presents a summary of a thesis by Lawrence Martin on the analysis of the acid production potential of mill tailings, and the results of geotechnical testing of mill tailings completed by ROM. Appendix D describes potential landfill sites identified within the study area, the development of these sites to meet the present needs of the mining industry and the future requirements of the community is described. Appendix E summarizes the main legislation impacting on tailings disposal. Appendix F discusses the environmental and socio-economic factors that should be considered.

Jan 1, 1981

By Irvin Pritts

This report describes the design, fabrication, and testing of a prototype instrument which demonstrates the feasibility of determining respirable coal dust concentrations by light reflectance photometry. Coal dust is collected on a filter and the quantity collected is continuously monitored by reflectance-photometry. Light emission and detection is accomplished by reflective object sensors, which have both light source and detector in one chip. The use of a pulsed light source insures low drift characteristics of the measuring circuitry. The collection of the respirable coal dust on filters facilitates accurate calibration and also allows measurement verification, if desired, by well-accepted, gravimetric methods.

Jan 1, 1981

By T Davids, B J. J Botha

The presence of an extensive soft siltstone layer in the middle of the inter-burden sequence of rocks at Syferfontein Colliery in South Africa prompted tests to determine the effect of different mid-column decks of inert material in the siltstone layer. The objective was to achieve significant cost savings in explosives use whilst not degrading dragline productivity. An important factor that had to be considered was that the initiation systems available in South Africa are not accurate enough to ensure simultaneous initiation of explosives decks in a hole.

Jan 1, 1994

By G. D. Andria

Contract J0275007 was to consist of a thorough two-phase statistical analysis of respirable coal mine dust data from USBM Contracts H0232061, H0232060, H0230029, H0230031, H0210050, and H0242013. Consequently, BCR cataloged and assembled relevant data items from these contracts and formulated procedures suitable for the evaluation. The selected procedure was a Multilinear Regression Analysis which related dust concentrations measured in the mine to other mine parameters. Under the first phase, a thorough analysis of the date from USBM Contract No. H0230029 was completed. Primary results from this analysis are as follows: (1) The five variables that significantly affect dust concentrations in the return behind the brattice are the spray system utilized; the distance from the face to the return brattice; the return airflow; the production rate; and the water consumption rate, in that order. These five variables describe about 85 percent of the total variation in the return dust concentration. (2) Results at the miner and jack-setter locations were somewhat less conclusive due to the fact that only 17 percent of the variation in dust at the miner could be resolved and only 48 percent of the variation at the jack-setter location could be explained. The decision of the sponsor was that these initial results revealed as much information as could be expected; thus, per instructions from the USBM, the second phase (analysis of the other five contracts) was abandoned.

Jan 1, 1978

By T. Chong, R. Pesalj, B. Marchant, Z. Nikic

"The Mount Polley copper/gold project is located in central British Columbia and is currently being developed by Imperial Metals Corporation. Extensive laboratory and pilot plant testing was required to develop acceptable metallurgy for recovery of both sulphide and oxide copper-gold mineralization. Copper recovery is highly sensitive to oxide copper content of the feed whereas gold is primarily associated with the copper sulphide minerals. A conventional flowsheet where sulphide flotation is followed by sulphidization and oxide scavenging is described. The conventional flowsheet was used in a feasibility study which resulted in a favourable production decision at Mount Polley. Detailed engineering and permitting are in progress.More recently, laboratory and pilot testing of a new flotation reagent, S-6493*, an oxide specific collector, has indicated that improved copper recovery can be accomplished with reduced reagent consumption, including elimination of the sulphidization step, using S-6493 compared with the conventional flowsheet. The comparative metallurgical results using S-6493 and conventional sulphidization methods are presented, from both bench scale and pilot testing. Comparative economics of the conventional flowsheet and that using S-6493 are also presented. Advantages of S-6493 include reduced reagent costs, increased revenues from additional copper recovery, and overall reduction in capital and plant operating costs due to the simplified flowsheet. INTRODUCDONThe Mount Polley copper/gold property is located in Central British Columbia, 56 air kilometres northeast of Williams Lake. The first recorded exploration was in 1964. By 1989, a total of 238 diamond drill holes, totalling 27, 522 meters, was completed to detail reserves on the Mount Polley prospect. A number of drill core composites were submitted, containing a variety of oxide copper levels, for metallurgical flowsheet development. Six bulk samples were collected from surface trenches for additional bench scale testing and for pilot plant testing."

Jan 1, 1991

By John D. Sullivan

A DISCUSSION of the developments of the past decade in the field of refractories, and the effect of these developments on the performance and life of open-hearth furnaces, is perhaps best introduced by reference to Fig. 1. This shows the most important types of refractories doing into various parts of the furnace, together with their cost, and remarks on their use. It has been estimated that half of the refractory makers market comes from the iron and steel industry, and something like one-third of all refractory brick used finds its way into open-hearth furnaces. To melt steel, a furnace capable of withstanding temperatures close to 3000 deg. F. is required. The furnace is assembled of various refractory materials selected by experience and economic considerations. Furnace structures today, from a refractory standpoint, are considerably different from a quarter century ago. Furnace operators, interested in the performance of refractories, care little how they are made or where they come from so long as they give reasonable service. But, the entire history of the refractory is important and technical knowledge of the ceramic materials used in making the refractory is necessary to the manufacturers, so that the proper article gets into the hands of the ultimate consumer.

Jan 1, 1936

By R. Jolicoeur, J. F. Jackson, M. A. Green

"The design, construction and commissioning of Kiena Gold Mines Limited's new mill was completed in 15 months ending in September 1984. Rated at 1250 tonnes per day the mill incorporates the latest innovative technology such as semi-autogenous grinding, carbon in pulp, pressure stripping and induction furnace refining. The mill is housed in a pre-engineered building with the leach tanks and thickeners located outdoors in spite of the intense winter cold. 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND HISTORYThe operations or Kiena Gold Mines Limited are located in Dubw1sson Township, approximately 10 Km west of Val d'Or, in the Abitibi region northwestern Quebec. Comprised of 59 mining claims covering 1214 hectares, a large portion of the mining property is overlain by the waters of Lac de Montigny. Sometime between 1911 and 1914 Barney Parker discovered gold in a shear zone on an island in Lac de Montigny that now bears his name. The first shaft the Parker Shaft, was sunk in 1936 from the island to a depth of 136 meters but owing to the known veins being of limited extent and the onset of the Second World War operations were terminated in 1940. In the early l960 1 s exploration drilling indicated an orebody of 4,500.000 tonnes at 6.3 grams of gold per tonne. A causeway was built to link the island to the mainland in 1963 and a new 3 compartment shaft was sunk to 403 metres. The orebody was further delineated and the ground conditions within the orebody and surrounds were evaluated.At the end of 1965 the property was placed on a care and maintenance basis as a mining operation would be marginal with gold selling at $35 per ounce."

Jan 1, 1986

By Loren R. Anderson

Traditionally, an evaluation of the safety of slopes has been based on computing a safety factor against failure. In computing the safety factor, the geometry of the slope, the soil parameters and the pore pressures are treated as deterministic quantities even though they are known to be random variables. A pseudo-three-dimensional probabilistic slope stability model has been developed that treats shear strength as a random variable. The model uses the probability of a slope failure as an assessment of slope reliability. The model can accommodate zoned embankments of soil in which the strength is described by the Mohr-Coulomb strength envelope. Autocorrelation functions are used to describe the spatial correlation of the strength parameters, c and tan ø. Model error can also be included in the analysis. The model has been applied to an existing tailings dam and to several hypothetical examples. These examples are presented to illustrate the influence of the choice of the soil strength variability parameters on the probability of failure. The results show that the critical failure surface based on the minimum safety factor is not necessarily the failure surface that will yield the maximum probability of failure. The analysis of the tailings dam shows that variance reduction can be large and that the model error is the dominant source of uncertainty for the embankment analyzed.

Jan 1, 1982

By Paikowsky, Samuel G.

"Due to the way drilled deep foundations are being constructed, their structural integrity and geotechnical capacity are highly variable. Drop weight systems are increasingly being used to dynamically test the capacity and integrity of drilled deep foundations. Conventional pile driving hammers are often either inadequate or not economical to test these foundations and drop weight systems have therefore been developed to allow for dynamic testing.The advantages of the tests include high mobility, short testing time, low cost relative to static load tests (allowing multiple tests at a single site), and integrity/construction quality evaluation concurrent with capacity determination. The dynamic testing method for drilled deep foundations encounter several difficulties including: the need for a pre-testing analysis for matching pile, soil and testing system, adequate mass and drop height to reflect the mobilized capacity without structural damage, test interpretations for irregularly shaped and/or non-uniform piles, need for reliable dynamic measurements depending on the impact and the distance between the impact and the measuring point, and limited knowledge about the accuracy of the predictions.The principles of the tests are presented using simplified models and demonstrated via a case history. Drop weight systems are reviewed. Dynamic measurement principles are explained and the construction and testing quality effects are outlined and demonstrated via numerical modeling and case histories. A comparison of dynamic and static tests is presented via a database, case histories and finally a short review of relevant codes is provided.1 IntroductionTraditional static axial load test is performed by a slow application of a force produced against independent reaction, imitating structural loading. It is the most reliable method to determine the pile’s performance as commonly required under typical service conditions. The major limitations of this testing are: (i) high cost associated with set-up, test duration, interpretation and construction delays, and (ii) inability to obtain information about the pile-soil interaction along the pile without additional testing means (e.g. tell tales, strain gauges, etc.). These limitations are acute when high capacity foundations are involved."

Jan 1, 2015

By D. van der Veen

Mining companies and contractors are looking at Wirtgen Surface Miners to provide flexibility at their operations. Wirtgen Surface Miners have been used in the surface mining industry for over fifteen years. The principle behind the Wirtgen Miner is a rotating drum equipped with tungsten carbide tipped cutting tools that excavates and sizes the material. The drum helix augurs the mined material to the center of the drum where it is loaded onto the primary conveyor belt. From there the material is conveyed to the discharge belt and into a truck bed. The cutting drum is located in the center of the machine, near the center of gravity. This permits the machine to cut hard materials as the entire machine weight is converted into cutting forces. Conventional mining practices are process, equipment, and labor intensive. Furthermore, strict environmental requirements pertaining to noise levels, dust pollution, and blasting, near buildings or urban areas, limit the application of conventional methods. Mining/ Construction contractors are using Wirtgen Miners in various limestone excavation projects, such as highway expansion projects, and new roads in housing developments. Mining companies in the industrial minerals and coal industry are using Wirtgen Miners to load directly onto trucks, eliminating the rehandling process and ultimately, primary crushers.

Jan 1, 2002

By Ronie Magno Pinheiro de Souza

A partir do segundo semestre de 2013, iniciou-se um período de maior dispêndio energético para o controle da resistência à compressão da pelota AFXX. A este problema somou-se o desafio de atingir elevados patamares de produção e chegar à produção nominal da usina. Desta forma, foi necessário fazer a partir de um complexo diagnóstico de todas as etapas do processo para encontrar a causa do problema e determinar a melhor forma de contorná-lo. Observou-se uma elevada geração de superfície específica granular somada à dificuldade de obter granulometria (-325#) na moagem, além da elevação da umidade do filter cake. Além disso, observou-se uma considerável elevação do PPC (perda por calcinação) no período, o que explica as constatações anteriores. Os objetivos do trabalho são avaliar os efeitos do aumento do PPC no pellet feed na produção da pelota AFXX e buscar explicação para a queda da resistência à compressão.

Aug 1, 2018

By Curtis H. Elder

In studies conducted by the Bureau of Mines, two test areas were hydraulically stimulated and exposed by mining: One in the Pittsburgh coalbed at the Vesta No. 5 mine, Washington County, Pa.; and one in the Illinois No. 6 coalbed at the Inland mine, Jefferson County, Ill. Induced fractures were contained totally within the coalbed with no adverse effect on the stability of associated rock strata. Induced fractures were vertical and were propagated normal to the direction of least residual tectonic stress. Gas production was increased fivefold to twentyfold by hydraulic stimulation.

Jan 1, 1977

By T. G. Carnahan

In-place leaching is being actively utilized to extract uranium, copper, and evaporites from low-grade and difficult-to-mine ores. The purpose of this report is to discuss in-place leaching technology, its advantages and disadvantages, and to give an overview of past, current, and envisioned in-place leaching operations in the U.S.A. Application of in-place leaching to uranium ores has been particularly successful because the conditions for leaching are nearly ideal. The ores are generally in highly permeable sandstone aquifers bounded above and below by impermeable shales. The uranium ore minerals are easily leached with oxidizing acid or base solution and the pregnant solutions are amenable to ion exchange concentration and purification prior to conventional solution neutralization for recovery of yellow cake. Copper is routinely recovered from sub-grade rock by dump leaching at most major copper mines. Acidified ferric sulfate is either sprayed on the surface of the dumps or is ponded on top of the dumps. The leaching solution migrates down through the rock and dissolves copper. The solution is collected from the base of the dumps and copper is recovered by solvent extraction-electrowinning or by cementation on detinned steel cans. True in-place copper leaching is being practiced in the caved stopes of an exhausted underground copper mine. Other innovative in-place copper leaching techniques have been tested commercially and laboratory- and pilot-scale experiments have been conducted to investigate proposed in-place leaching techniques for extracting copper from difficult-to-treat chalcopyrite ores. Solution mining of evaporites is being conducted commercially for the extraction of sodium chloride and potassium chloride. A large-scale experimental project for solution mining of trona has been undertaken.

Jan 1, 1982

By D. E. Kirby

In line with the Bureau of Mines' goal of providing technology to maintain a supply of minerals adequate to meet national economic and strategic needs, a method for recovering chromite from lateritic materials was investigated. Laterites are a large resource of Ni, Co, and Cr, critical metals of which the United States has insufficient domestic sources. A roast-leach method was developed by the Bureau to extract nickel and cobalt from domestic laterites. A concurrent effort was made to recover chromium from either unprocessed laterites or the leach residues. This report characterizes laterites and laterite leach residues. It describes a chromite recovery procedure using conventional industrial beneficiation equipment for sizing, low-intensity magnetic separation, and gravity concentration. Concentrates containing 20.0 to 22.4 pct Cr (29.0 to 32.7 pct Cr203) and with a 1.6:1 to 1.9:1 Cr-Fe ratio were recovered from laterites and residues containing 1.3 to 2.5 pct Cr with recoveries exceeding 50 pct. Because of their low grade and fine size, these concentrates would be suitable for preparing chromium chemicals. The direct beneficiation of laterites for chromite recovery resulted in the minerals containing nickel and cobalt concentrating in slime products. No iron oxide coproducts of acceptable grade were recovered from either laterites or residues.

Jan 1, 1982