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By L. L. Probert

A three-year project focusing on the depth profiling of respirable coal mine dust particles using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray analysis resulted in the development of statistically classified particle-behavior models. The models depict the changing silicon fraction for 5-, 7-, 9-, and 11-keV accelerating voltages, thereby giving a clear indication of the nature of various types of particles. This paper will focus on the results for respirable quartz particles that occur in underground coal mines across the U.S. The relationship between the amount of surface-available quartz and coal seam rank is well established for Pennsylvania

Jan 1, 1994

By J. W. Leonard, D. A. Newman

By using physical and chemical means to increase the bulk density of newly broken coal freed from the mine face, the potential to improve coal mine productivity is significantly enhanced. It is estimated that by increasing bulk density, greater tonnages can be placed in fixed volume scoops and shuttles cars to improve production by as much as 10% to 20%. Such improved packaging to achieve new levels of volumetric efficiency might require only small and easy to implement changes to present downstream mining operations. Opportunities exist for improving broken coal bulk density from the moment of breakage, during transport across the continuous miner or loading machine, during discharge into the haulage unit, and after placement in the haulage unit. Physical/chemical methods for broken coal compaction in mobile, fixed volume units in underground operations are discussed.

Jan 1, 1990

By W. H. Davitt

One might ask why someone like myself, involved in the determination of taxes, should be speaking at a "cost engineering" session of a national engineering society. While it is true that taxes, especially income taxes, whether they be federal, state, or local, are not usually thought of as a "cost" of doing business, it is equally true that these tax costs do reduce the distributable profits just as much, as the cost of power, supplies, or labor. Therefore, the consideration given to taxes is often as important as that given to other costs. Hopefully yea will recognize that, within certain limits, taxes can be controlled to an economic advantage. That question may then lead to another question: What does the amount of taxes have to do with me? I'm an engineer or manager; not an accountant or a lawyer. If I may take a few minutes of your time, I might be able to present in a brief discussion some interesting facts that will provide the answers to those questions. My discussion will be directed mainly to Federal taxes. However, much of it will be applicable to state and local taxes, also.

Jan 1, 1973

By A. K. Haines, M. W. Godfrey, D. M. Miller, P. C. van Aswegen

The Bacterial Oxidation [(BIOX)] process for the pre-treatment of refractory ores for gold recovery developed by Genmin, the mining division of Gencor, has been operating successfully at the Fairvew Mine since October 1986. The continuous operation of a pilot plant at Genmin Process Research has resulted in further process developmenst to improve plant operating efficiencies. These new developments, which include a higher solids content of the pulp feed to [BIOX], lower retention times, higher operating temperatures, lower power utilizaton for oxygen dispersion and reduced nutrient addition, have all been successfully implemented on the Fairvew plant. It has furthermore been confirmed that the arsenic precipitate formed in the neutralization of effluent solutions complies to the United States of America EPA standards. Contineous cyanidation pilot plant work conducted on [BIOX] product has indicated that cyanide consumption can be drastically decreased if a continuons flowsheet is implemented in preference to a batch leaching system.

Jan 1, 1992

By R. A. Metz, Isaac Vera, Hans Ruge

The El Soldado copper mineralization occurs as relatively high-grade irregular ore bodies with assay contacts and with frequent inclusions of barren rock. The sampling methods must be timely for production grade control purposes, as well as accurate and inexpensive. Sampling techniques evolved from sampling dump cars at the haulage level to sampling Scooptrams at the loading pockets. These methods were abandoned in favor of sampling production blastholes. Several sampling alternatives are discussed. These involve the selection of optimum volumes and sampling frequencies while taking into consideration geological parameters and statistical analyses of sampling data.

Jan 1, 1992

By A. Tarigan

The integration of the ESZ orebody and DOZ orebody resulted in a much larger footprint than the original DOZ Mine shape. The significant change in footprint geometry presented new cave front management challenges, specifically: longer undercut drifts. Using a constant blasting rate, more time is required to complete caving in each drift which ultimately influences the number of active faces at any point in time. The number of manageable active drifts is controlled by the planned square-meters of undercut blasting, lead/lag restrictions and other specific conditions such as the need to blast pre-charged explosives. In early 2008, an evaluation of the existing plan showed that significantly more active undercut drifts and longer cave fronts would occur in the next five years. Difficulties associated with the long cave fronts led to a decision to redesign the caving sequence. Several different boundary options based on operational, geotechnical and ore grade parameters were investigated. This paper describes the issues faced with long cave fronts, the constraints and requirements to effectively manage the caving sequence and the options considered to mitigate this situation.

Jan 1, 2010

By T. Carl Jr. Shelton

Surveying and mapping are used to locate and visually portray objects, lines, or areas in relation to a reference point or line. The actual making of the measurements to locate the objects and points falls under surveying while mapping is concerned with putting the survey information into a graphical form. Generally, the type or class of proposed survey depends on the precision required. Some surveys may need only approximate measurements which can be obtained by simply pacing or by using an ordinary measuring tape; others may require much accuracy, thus calling for the use of an engineer's transit or theodolite along with a graduated steel tape for horizontal measurements, or a level and a graduated rod for measuring vertical distances. Mapping is likewise dependent on accuracy requirements. For example, a general layout showing the relative position of surface facilities may not call for a large scale of dimension or great precision whereas for detailed work, a large scale plus care in plotting points and drawing lines and curves are important factors.

Jan 1, 1981

By D. G. Purdy

Planning, as defined in Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, is a detailed program of action designed to achieve an end. When developing a detailed plan to incorporate all the complex activities involved in a surface lignite mine, many elements must be carefully evaluated as to the individual and cumulative effects on the end result. The following elements are generally evaluated when planning a surface lignite mine: ? Reserve evaluation, including lignite quality characterization; ? Delineation of mining parameters, including lignite recovery factors, geotechnical factors, land control factors; ? Selection of mining blocks; ? Pit sequencing; ? Reclamation, including soil reconstruction design and land use planning; ? Overburden handling design; ? Selection of equipment; ? Sizing of equipment; ? Manpower requirements; and ? Other elements, including contract negotiations and execution, financing, investment return, operation economics, permitting and scheduling.

Jan 1, 1985

By Byron C. Hardinge, E. R. Palowitch, Albert W. Deurbrouck, David J. Akers, Edward R. Torak

During 1983, 42.2% of the 686.0 (624.3 Mt) million tons of coal reported, 289.6 (263.5 Mt) million tons were mechanically cleaned, of which 107 (97.4 Mt) million tons were cleaned by dense media (magnetite and sand) processes.' The percentage of bituminous coal and lignite cleaned mechanically by dense medium processes increased from 7 to 38% between 1938 and 1983. The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that 150 million tons (137 Mt) of coal were cleaned by heavy-media processes in 1986, and that this number may increase to 265 million tons (241 Mt) by 1990.2 Dense medium separations include those coal preparation processes that clean raw coal by immersing it in a fluid having a density intermediate between clean coal and reject. As there is a general correlation between ash content and specific gravity, it is possible to achieve the required degree of removal of ash-forming impurities from a raw coal by regulating the specific gravity of the separating fluid. Dense medium processes generally offer the following advantages over other coal cleaning processes: • Ability to make sharp separations at any specific gravity within the range normally required even in the presence of high percentages of raw coal whose specific gravity is near the specific gravity of separation. • Ability to maintain a separating gravity that can be controlled within + 0.005 sp gr units. • Ability to handle a wide range of coal sizes. • Ability to change specific gravity of separation to meet varying market requirements. • Ability to handle fluctuations in feed, in terms of both quantity and quality. Unfortunately, dense medium processes can have the following disadvantages: • Relatively high capital costs caused primarily by the need for equipment to collect and recycle the medium. Relatively high operating costs caused primarily by operation of medium recycle equipment and loss of medium.

Jan 1, 1991

By J. J. Bartels

The phosphate rock review did not arrive in time for publication in the. June issue. The world phosphate industry continued its slide in 1992 from the already depressed levels in 1991. The industry is locked into a 30-year fertilizer price low due to the worldwide fertilizer glut. Domestic production and imported, marketable phosphate rock decreased 1%, while domestic consumption increased by 1 % last year. The US Bureau of Mines reported a decrease in the domestic phosphate rock value from $25.42/t in 1991 to $23/t in 1992 ($23.06/st to $20.80/st). The diammonion phosphate (DAP) product price also dropped in value from $138/ t in January 1992 to $11 0/t in December ($125/st to $99.70/st). Continued declines in DAP prices is forcing the US fertilizer industry to develop cost-saving programs and reorganizations. Layoffs in 1992 resulted in a 7.6% decrease in the Florida phosphate workforce. Since 1980, the Florida workforce has declined by 35%. Small phosphate companies were forced to close operations or were sold to larger phosphate companies. Federal and state environmental regulations for byproduct waste disposal methods are being studied. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved phosphogypsum use in agri¬cultural and research applications as long as the radium 226 concentration is lower than 10 pci/g. The EPA is also reviewing regulations concerning air emissions at fertilizer plants. Industry publications reported the possibility of continued company sales and mergers in 1993. Industry expectations are optimistic while waiting for an upturn in the market. The US phosphate industry consolidation into three or four major companies should evolve into a stronger world market force.

Jan 1, 1993

By L. P. James

The Bulagidun copper-gold system occurs in Tertiary andesitic volcanic rocks. It is located (figure 1, from Curless, 1991) ca. two days walk from the coast in an isolated area on the northerly slope of the main range of mountains, in steep terrain dissected by erosion. Detailed and district-scale exploration from 1988 to 1991 by BHP Minerals defined a small, sub-economic resource of gold and copper. One preliminary estimate of the resource in bedrock suggests 14.4 million tons at 0.68 grams / Tonne Au and 0.61% Cu, in multiple small bodies.

Jan 1, 1993

By S. Acar

The results obtained for the selective flocculation or flotation of natural ores do not usually agree with the corresponding properties of the constituent minerals when present alone. This is mainly due to the presence of dissolved mineral species which can interact in many ways with other components in the system and alter their behavior. In this paper, the effect of dissolved species on the flocculation and electrokinetic properties of sulfide minerals is disscussed. Dissolved Fe, Cu and Ni species are found to affect the properties of chalcopyrite, pentlandite, millerite, pyrrhotite and covellite in certain pH range. These effects are interpreted in terms of species adsorption leading to activation or depression of reagents, surface precipitation and complexation of species, etc.

Jan 1, 1985

By George D. Haley

This report will be given in two sections. The first sec¬tion outlines techniques and equipment to form almond shaped fluorspar briquettes by means of briquet presses, and the second section outlines techniques of the balling disc. PART I - BRIQUET PRESSES Fluorspar has been briquetted for a number of years and the so called "peach pit" briquet is known to many steelmen. Present production is estimated at over 100,000 tons annually. Slide 1 shows an assortment of various sizes and shapes of briquettes. It is possible to form fluorspar into almost any configuration of briquet. For safety on the melting floor, pillow type briquets are preferred. Ease of mechanical handling and durability of the product are facil¬itated by an almond shape. The dimensions of the almond can vary from 1-in. to 1-1/2-in. in length, from 13/16-in. to 1-in. in width and from 1/2-in. to 1-in. in thickness. The type of equipment to pro¬duce almond shaped fluorspar briquettes is shown in Slide 2. Here we have a Komarek-Greaves and Company 300 ton briquettor equipped with almond rolls. This machine is capable of producing fluorspar briquettes at a rats of 30 tons per hour with power consumption of 35 hp per ton par hour.

Jan 1, 1969

By I. Fafoutis

Laboratory column studies were conducted in order to assess the effectiveness of slag and red mud reactive barriers for cleaning up leachates generated at mining and waste disposal sites and loaded with copper and manganese. Solutions containing the metals of concern were prepared by dissolving the required quantities of CuSO4?5H2O and MnSO4?H2O in distilled water so that Cu concentration was 100 ppm and Mn 20 ppm. Flow rates of 25 mL.h-1 for Cu solution and 75 mL.h-1 for Mn solution were used in order to simulate aquifer water velocities of 1 ft/d and 3 ft/d respectively. Solutions were pumped upflow, in Plexiglas laboratory columns filled with each reactive medium, using peristaltic pumps. Measurements of middle and outflow column pH, redox potential, conductivity and elements concentration were performed to provide information regarding removal mechanisms for both elements and exhaustion/inactivation rates for each reactive medium. Both reactive media showed fairly good removal efficiency over the period studied. Copper was mainly removed by precipitation and formation of Cu(OH)2 while removal of manganese was due to precipitation of Mn(OH2).

Jan 1, 2006

By R. Bhaskar

The results of an experimental study on the dispersion and deposition characteristics of fine coal dust in mine airways are presented. Experiments were conducted at various flow velocities using bituminous and semi-anthracite-coal dust which had a large proportion of dust in the respirable size range. Cross sectional variations in the concentration of dust at various points in the airway were also measured. Instruments used in the experiments included gravimetric samplers and impactors. Concentration measurements were made both for the respirable and total airborne dust. The experimental design, sampling procedures and results are discussed. The study is aimed at providing a better understanding of the temporal and spatial behavior of dust particles in underground mine airways.

Jan 1, 1986

By James M. Griffin

It was not many years ago that people would have argued that a coal session did not belong at an International Mining Convention. Historically, steam coal has always been used domestically due to its natural geographic diversity and high transportation expense. Times have changed. With the help of Opec, steam coal has gone international. As opposed to metallurgical coal, whose trade routes have a long history, whose supply sources are more limited and whose market growth is seen by most to be relatively flat, steam coal export forecasts are calling for more than a doubling by 1990 and a quadrupling by the year 2000. Suddenly, one must be familiar with coal mining on a global basis in order to predict which regions will be able to fill these markets.

Jan 1, 1982

By M. D. Dennis

Precious metal mineralization at Mt. Hamilton" Nevada is associated with a poly-metallic, garnet-pyroxene skarn system developed in middle to upper Cambrian calcareous shales, limestones and dolomites. The skarn is developed around the Cretaceous Seligman and Monte cristo calc-alkaline stocks. Gold is associated with intense retrograde alteration. Later epithermal quartz veins containing gold, silver, base-metal sulfides, and sulfosalts cross-cut skarn alteration. Westmont Mining Inc. is currently developing two mineralized zones containing a geologic resource of approximately 7.7 M.T., which averages 0.05 OPT gold and 0.5 OPT silver. The project will have an estimated mine life of seven years, with a planned annual production rate of 35,000 ounces of gold and 300,000 ounces of silver.

Jan 1, 1989

By R. Q. Honaker

Recent research has shown that enhanced gravity separators provide the opportunity to effectively clean I mm x 37 micron coal. At Southern Illinois University, a detailed experimental program was performed on a continuous Falcon Concentrator, which was found to achieve separations at mass throughput capacity values in excess of 100 tonnes/hour. The apparent particle separation density for I mm x 73 micron coal was about 1.60 with relatively high efficiency (Ep = 0.12). Typical ash and sulfur rejection values of 85% and 70%, respectively, were achieved while recovering 85% of the combustible material. Metallurgical and efficiency data from the evaluation are presented in this publication.

Jan 1, 1998

By K. Oraee

The empirical rock failure criteria play an important role in predicting the mechanical behavior of rocks, since affecting parameters on the behavioral properties of rocks are complex and numerous. Usually the empirical failure criteria are obtained by statistical methods, namely by means of fitting the mathematical function onto the experimental data. For evaluation and verification of the results, however, the quality and accuracy of the fit must be considered. This paper studies the efficiency and accuracy of conventional empirical rock failure criteria using a new approach, which is based on the analysis of uncertainty amplitude on the constant parameters of each criterion. The approach adopted here, is based on the combination of some parameters such as Mean Squared Error (MSE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), type of function, degree of freedom and the confidence level of constants. Correlation coefficient (R2) is then a comprehensive test and can be used effectively for comparison and accuracy of empirical rock failure criteria.

Jan 1, 2012

By M. A. Trevits, G. W. Luxbacher, L. D. Patts

"It is almost a given that post-disaster mine conditions will have compromised the mine ventilation system, resulting in a hazardous atmosphere in portions of the mine, and often complicated travel through debris fields and roof falls. Robotic technologies provide the opportunity to gather valuable information to assist decision making or lessen exposure to dangerous conditions. MSHA's Mine Emergency Operations Division (MEO) has utilized a fully permissible mine robot, the V2, for a number of years, constantly updating the unit as new technologies became available. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, as part of the MINER Act Extramural Contract Program, examined the need for additional robotic units and ultimately funded three different types of prototype technologies: two robots, the Snake Robot and the Gemini-Scout, and a mine rescue robotic assist vehicle known as the ""Mule"". The Snake Robot is designed to be lowered through a borehole and to conduct surveillance (gas monitoring, video and audio) in the immediate vicinity, while the Gemini-Scout, designed to be deployed in the mine opening, serves as a more mobile and agile exploratory tool as compared to the MSHA V2 robot. The Mule was developed in response to needs expressed by mine rescue teams for a versatile remotely operated support vehicle and it will move from prototype to MEO utilization in the near future. This paper describes the development of the robot prototypes and discusses their limitations in the prototype stage, possible enhancements and potential applications, as well as the utilization of the Mule. INTRODUCTION The conditions in a coal mine may be dramatically altered after a mine fire or explosion. For example, the ventilation system may not be functioning correctly as control devices may be compromised or damaged beyond repair. The visibility in the mine opening may be limited due to accumulated smoke and dust. Roof support systems may be damaged or no longer functional. Equipment and materials may be strewn about the mine opening. Debris fields, blocked openings, roof falls, flooded areas, gas accumulations and active burning make it very difficult or impossible for those managing the post-event emergency to permit mine rescue teams to enter the mine to conduct search and rescue operations. With the evolution of robots and robotic assist technology there has been a proliferation of purpose-built units for the military, police and law enforcement agencies, urban search and rescue and those contending with hazardous environmental conditions. In each case, the technology used is designed to limit human exposure to the unsafe conditions or to provide access to areas under difficult conditions. For example, a specially-designed marine robot has been deployed into the damaged core of the Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to assess the conditions of the containment vessels, where melted fuel is believed to have accumulated. Human access to the area is prohibited due to dangerously elevated levels of radioactivity [1]. Multiple robots were deployed in Amatrice, Italy, to assist in the response after the 6.2-magnitude earthquake devastated the town. The robots were used to explore two medieval churches that were severely damaged and deemed too dangerous for human entry [2]. Tactical robots are regularly used by police and law enforcement agencies when the conditions of the emergency place intervening officers directly in harm's way [3]."

Jan 1, 2018