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During the intial two years (1972 - 1974) of exploration at Telfer, water require- ments were limited to supporting a 50 man camp and diamond drilling to verify thickness and grade of the stratabound ore deposit. Water bores were drilled to intersect the Middle Vale Reef down dip from its outcrop about 70 metres below surface. The MVR reef is an oxidized pyritic horizon which contains 30% - 65% sulphide below the zone of oxidation and forms a highly porous leached gossanous zone to a depth of 100 metres. Surface run-off water from the low hills associated with the Main Dome structure have led to annual re- charge of this extensive aquifer which MAP AREA Lake Waukarlyearly Permian rocks Precambrian basement - - ~;; rocks Sand d.n.s pò. _ « Drainage sg 1 qo~ (`-~.~ ? ò;+ Palaeochannel and 1 d {- subsurface drainage % GLENN BOREFIELD PASSMORE FAULT ;òTsI1. G-OId MIns BOUNDARY oChr~st as t .` Pool 4, 1 j`` Lake Dora òt ~daN 22' 0, 50 Niter KILOMETRES Fig 1. Telfer district map, Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia.

Jan 1, 1988

The use of pipeline-c to carry crude'oil and petroleum pro-ducts is a reliable and economic*Way to transport large quantities of oil. The length and size of these pipelines have continued to grow throughout the world as the demand for petroleum has in-creased and as the price of other transportation-methods has risen. At the present time pipelines 'can move a barrel of oil a distance of 100 miles at an average cost of ,80.06 U.S. dollars.The major elements in pipeline design are discussed. Methods of calculating pressure drop and horsepower requirements are pre-sented. These are variations of standard equations.in which the elements of each equation are expressed in terms common to the petroleum industry. Major equipment is discussed., particularlyas it relates to operation and economics.Cost data are presented to aid in preliminary economic ana-lysis. Curves illustrate the cost of oil transportation at flow rates between 10,000 and 500,000 barrels per day and permit the selection of pipe diameter-which will result in minimum operating costs.

Jan 1, 1962

By I Thin, I Sheppard

Resin encapsulated rock bolting practices have been adopted by Mount Isa Mines since the early-1980s. Fully encapsulated rock bolt systems meet designated requirements for long-term ground support in the mines. A variety of rock bolts, resins and installation methods have been utilised over this period in underground mining. As a parallel to this evolving application, Mount Isa Mines have tested various resin encapsulated rock bolt systems. Testing has included routine underground pull testing and the development and implementation of the push test for the entire encapsulated bolt length. The latter test enables a greater understanding and representation to be had of the overall mixing, level of encapsulation and capacity of the system. Rock mechanics at Mount Isa Mines undertake evaluation of new bolt systems that become available, in addition to the maintenance of compliance with quality control measures for the existing systems. Improved methods of installation and systems are also investigated to further the cost-effective nature and minimise risks associated with resin rock bolt practices.

Jan 1, 2002

By Palmer DJ, Bain JH, Pullen JB

Over the last ten years at Risdon, zinc production capacity has almost doubled. This has resulted in modifications, many of which have affected zinc deposition operating conditions in the cells. Some of these changes appeared to have affected average current efficiency to such an extent that a special investigation was initiated, using multiple regression analysis to assess historic cell unit operating para- meters. The study highlighted the importance of certain parameters in maintaining maximum current efficiency for zinc deposition from !Risdon purified solutions under conditions of !changing current density, acidity and zinc con- centrations. Maximum current efficiency was obtained only within a zinc to acid ratio in cell electrolyte of 0.45 - 0.55 and a residual zinc concentration greater than 48 g.1-1, irrespective of actual zinc concentration or The investigation also established: ieters giving minimum power consumption at termined current density; the effect of ntration changes in common impurities on nt efficiency; the existence of high s of some impurities in solids precipit- in the cells and pure solution tanks.

Jan 1, 1975

By S Pollak, A Amon

This paper describes the current and finished design work which has been performed for shallow rock station caverns for New York CityÆs first new subway construction in 60 years. A new robust, sophisticated, design procedure has been developed for two up to 30 m wide caverns, with overburden of less then 12 m, and rock cover to span ratios (C/S) in the order of 0.25. The design is based on empirical input parameters like the Q-value, rock mass rating (RMR) values, rock mass class after Cording (1984), cover to span ratios, which have been validated by the use of structural computer models as well as two- and three-dimensional numerical discontinuum models. The design approach is a staged approach using first principles, empirical models and non-linear FEM and DEM models. In addition, the paper describes the factors and circumstances why shallow caverns have been selected instead of cut-and-cover structures and why all the underground station structures have been developed as drained structures.

Jan 1, 2008

By Muir D

A review of the various methods of degrad- ing cyanide either from gold processing liquors or electroplating baths is presented with some discussion on their relative merits or problems. Whilst alkaline chlorination is common practice in many U.S. and Canadian plants it poses particular problems for certain plants. Alter- native methods include electrolysis, hydrolysis and air oxidation with activated carbon as catalyst which are also integral steps in the carbon-in-pulp process. A basic study of the degradation of cyanide ion has been carried out therefore to determine the effect of temperature, oxygen and carbon. It is shown that carbon is an excellent catalyst for degradation by air and likely to lead to higher losses of cyanide in a C.I.L. circuit. Degradation by hydrolysis is important at high temperatures and high pH such as employed in the Pressure Zadra or Anglo elution processes. Carbon catalysed degradation of cyanide by oxygen in effluent streams may be an environmentally acceptable alternative to conventional chlorine degradation.

Jan 1, 1987

By Bilbrey J. H

Land utitized duxting the past 45 yeans by the mining industty in the United States con all puxpos ez to tal4 neatly 4 million sexes. Ob this axes, 13 pexeent is used bon dL4posal ob bLne -sized mtinexal wastes dL4eaxded by one milling plants. These wastes, especi- ally the inactive taLeLng4 ponds, xequixe some type ob stabULzation to pxevent aix and watex pollution. Because these tailings ponds axe locat- ed undex wideey vaxyting etLmctLe conditions and thetix physical and chemi- cal ehaxactexti5tLes axe not constant, many methods have been developed by the Fedexal Buxeau ob Mines and oXhex inve4- ttigatoxs box 4tabLtLzLng taLtLngs. This papex detfnea.e4 the magnitude ob the pxoblemz associated with the xeelametLon ob milling plant wastes and discusses the vaxtious methods that have been developed and used. Data bxom selected Buxeau o4 Mines taboxato&y xeseaxch pxojects and a s.abAJLzetLon field txtial axe pxesen.ed.

Jan 1, 1976

Dynamic shocks, which occur in mine hoisting systems have been measured by various investigators over the past 30 years. In 1966 the most intensive analytical investigations were being planned in Bochum, Germany, where equipment then was being constructed to measure the power generated in any particular dynamic shock. Between 1953 and 1956, in Broken Hill, N.S.W., accelerations of the shaft conveyances were measured and analysed. The "effective mass" of the conveyances at the time of the shock was then and still is considered as indeterminate and not easily measured. It is believed that probable peak forces can be determined by the product of the static mass and the accelerations. The subsequent problem of the elimination of the dynamic shocks becomes one of possibly increasing the frequency and thus reducing the amplitude, after identifying and evaluating the shock generators. In addition, judicious use of the clearance between the shaft conveyance and the guide, as a zone in which to absorb vibrations, is a factor which has been overlooked in earlier investigations on This topic.

Jan 1, 1971

Interest in mineral sand mining in the south west corner of Western Australia began in the late 1940's and significant production commenced in 1956. Early land use conflicts arose because of conservation implications (Ludlow tuart forest), expanded to include post-mining rehabilitation requirements (the Wonnerup mine near Busselton) and today include some agricultural/mining disputes. These latter conflicts are largely caused by the need for mining companies to secure longer-term reserves. To date, deposits containing mineral valued at A$440 million have been sterilized and are unlikely to become available in the future. There is additional pressure being placed on presently available reserves and a pessimistic picture could be drawn, whereby the southwest mineral sands industry ceases to exist by the year 2010. However, sensible land use planning, the support of policticians and the community, and responsible attitudes towards compensation and rehabilitation could, in combination, see the industry maintain significant mineral output until the middle of the 21st century. Examples of deposits sterilized by adverse land use will be given.

Jan 1, 1986

One distinctive feature of the global mining industry approaching the twenty-first century is the worldwide commitment of mining houses to large-scale projects in developing countries. One good example is BHP's development of the Escondida copper project in Chile. The Escondida orebody was discovered in 1981 and construction began in July 1988. Mining began in December 1990 at a design capacity of 320 000 tonnes of copper contained in concentrate. Out put has grown significantly and shortly Escondida will become the largest single copper mine in the world producing copper at the rate of 800 000 tonnes per annum, including 80 000 tonnes of copper metal. Escondida provides a case study of the development and growth of a large-scale mining operation in a developing country. Key elements have been innovative financing, the management of country risk, the recruitment of an excellent workforce, the use of advanced technologies and best practice in environmental management and community relations. Escondida is one of the global mining industry's success stories in the 1990s.

Jan 1, 1996

Mine dewatering has long been a problem with mines and some of the shallowest mines have the biggest problems. Machinery was developed by the ancients for raising water by rope buckets with treadmills or by horse whim. From the 1700's on into the early part of this century, massive cornish pumps or equivalent were the vogue powered by steam. One Australian mine pumping system was claimed to be the largest in the world just after the turn of the century. It was installed at Beaconsfield in Tasmania and the mine, like so many other mines of the period, were beaten by problems and cost associated with mine dewatering. The owners of that mine are looking at the feasibility of dewatering using surface drilled wells. Much simpler and smaller pumps are the order now and it is feasible to use boreholes instead of shafts to contain the pumps or else to use the holes to convey discharge waters to the surface from pumps located in drives or stopes.

Jan 1, 1988

By Tapponnier P

In North Vietnam, large ductile shear zones are observed along the Red river fault and the Dienbien fault. Left-lateral sense of the Red river shear zone is related to the direction of shortening E-W. NE dipping foliation planes is subvertical. Stretching lineation is subhorizontal ( 25¦). Left-lateral slip observed in the Oligocene Yansun granites demonstrates the major tectonic phase in Neogene, The stress field established from microfaults observed in triassic limestones, Oligocene granites and Neogene Conglomerates. Measurements of striations on fault mirors are used for calculating the stress tensor and for separating tectonic phases. Two tectonic phases in tertiary are separated : first tectonic phase related to the compressive direction E-W corresponds to the major tectonic phase represented by NW left-lateral shear zone. Second phase having the compressive direction N-S associated with the right-lateral movement of the Red-river fault zone opening of the Eastern sea and the Red-river and the Red-river delta is associated with the left-lateral movement along the Red-river.

Jan 1, 1990

By Holliday RJ

The Imperial Smelting Furnace (ISF) was developed in Britain during the 1950's as a process which could produce zinc from a blast furnace. Since then it has evolved into an efficient means of producing zinc and lead from lower grade raw materials, both of primary and secondary origin. These changes have been in response to the need to improve the cost competitive position of the ISF in a climate of decreasing metal prices. The improvements at the Cockle Creek smelter of Sulphide Corporation Pty Limited have resulted from work undertaken in four main areas: 1. Changes in plant design and operating practice to give more stable furnace operation. 2. Improvements to the quality of sinter being charged to the furnace. 3. Improved monitoring of process variables and the formulation of control strategies based on the improved data. 4. Increased understanding of the processes occuring within the furnace shaft to allow predictive modelling to be undertaken. Work in these areas is still progressing but the work to date has resulted in a significant improvement in the production rate and efficiency of operation.

Jan 1, 1984

Tasker (1985) has detailed the accepted practices for constructing polygonal blocks of influerrce in the estimation of ore reserves. Further he suggests that users might fall into traps such as omission or overlap when determining the area of influence for each sample point.As an example of these types of errors Tasker (1985) describes under "Coverage ofthe Area" how 25 per cent of the exploration area will not be included in an equiangular triangular grid where hexagonal blocks of influence are used.The introductory suggestion of Tasker (1985) of "incorrect procedure" by Rudenno (1983) (and Armstrong (1983)) reiterated around the Figure 2a of Tasker (1985), is based on the brief description of the polygonal area of influence by Rudenno (1983). That description is not too different from that given by King, McMahon and Bujtor (1982).

Jan 1, 1985

By N F. Glenn, S Thiruchittampalam, B P. Banerjee, S Raval

The determination of shear strength parameters for the spoil material plays a crucial role in the assessment of a dump’s stability; nevertheless, their evaluation necessitates laborious laboratory experiments. In order to address this issue, Simmons and McManus (2004) formulated a framework that serves as a foundation for categorising spoils according to their distinctive shear strength parameters based on observable and tactile characteristics. This framework, previously identified as the ‘BHP Mitsubishi Alliance Coal (BMAC) Spoil Shear Strength Framework’, is now recognised as the ‘CoalSpoil’ framework. The spoil characterisation provided by the CoalSpoil framework offers benefits but is not without limitations. The examination of these attributes in the field is a time-consuming task that demands expertise. Subjectivity arises in the spoil characterisation when attributes straddle the line between two categories, such as delineating matrix-supported and framework-supported fabric structures. To enhance consistency in the spoil characterisation process, minimising human intervention is crucial to mitigate bias, classification errors, and safety risks. This study seeks to achieve this aim by introducing image-assisted and automated methods for spoil characterisation.

Sep 1, 2024

Your Worship the Mayor, Ron McCullough; the Honourable Tony McGrady M.L.A., Minister for Minerals & Energy; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.It's both a pleasure and a privilege to have been invited by the North West Queensland branch of the AusIMM to speak at a forum in Mount Isa to discuss the potential, and more importantly, the development of the great North West. I spent 25 years of my life proudly living and working in this part of the world, marvelling at its riches, exploring its potential, assisting in its development and responding to its challenges.As President of the North West Queensland branch of the AusIMM in the early 1970's I can clearly recall helping to organize a major symposium extolling the geological potential of the region, revealing the extensions of the Mount Isa copper orebody at depth and describing the potential of the then untapped Hilton Mine. Our optimism in the North West so obviously reflected two decades ago remains today.

Jan 1, 1993

By M Gao

Six new IsaMills were installed for the George Fisher flowsheet in the Lead/Zinc Concentrator of Mount Isa Mines to produce a product P80 as fine as seven microns. The objective was better liberation of galena and sphalerite. The IsaMill commissioning was completed by the end of 1999. The six new IsaMills were running to the metallurgical specifications almost immediately after start-up. This paper reports the performance of the George Fisher IsaMills in the zinc circuits and some of the latest development in the IsaMill designs and maintenance during George Fisher commissioning.

Jan 1, 2000

By X Yu, Y Shen

The iron ore products should be assessed in terms of in-furnace behaviour and overall furnace performance, their operation should also be optimised under industry-scale blast furnace (BF) conditions, in order to be sustainable and competitive, especially in the context of decarbonisation efforts in ironmaking. While lab and pilot-scale experiments can provide useful kinetics, they are expensive and risky and cannot replicate industry-scale blast furnace conditions for proper assessment and optimisation. In this paper, we review our recent progress at Shen Lab of UNSW in using state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models to assess iron ore products and examine the effects of their operations on BF behaviour in basic terms, including in-furnace phenomena (flow field, temperature field, species distribution fields etc) and overall BF performance (coke rate, reduction efficiency and top gas temperature etc). We have developed state-of-the-edge CFD models for different purposes, ranging from the static-state BF model featuring unique layered burden structures for offline assessment and optimisation knowledge building-up for iron ore products, to the transient-state BF model for online assessment and optimisation of iron ore productions by describing the transient behaviours of iron ore productions under industry-scale conditions. First, we have studied several iron ore products including the iron ore products used in the present BFs and emerging iron ore products like carbon composite briquette and iron-coke. Second, several iron ore operations are studied including optimisation of conventional burden operations like oxygen enrichment, batch weight tuning and new operations like coke central charging and hydrogen injection in BFs. Third, some time-sensitive operations are also investigated including the use of wet burden materials and the drop in blast temperature on BF performance. These CFD models offer cost-effective research tools for understanding the effect of iron ore products on BF performance and serve as a reliable marketing tool for existing and emerging iron ore products under a wide range of BF conditions.

Sep 18, 2023

Since 1865 when Congress moved to create a Federal Mining Bureau, successive legislations have given rise to the current '!Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, 1969. Coal beds from 22 feet to 20 feet thick are mined under covers from 50 to 2800 feet with full and partial pillar recovery equally popular and accounting for a total of 54% of the mines. Pillar recovery and roof support practices vary, and each operator must submit an overall roof control plan (within specific guidelines) for approval before undertaking any development. The guidelines relate to dimensions of openings, details of support, sequence of extraction, limits of extraction and caving details. Experienced and professional staff of M.E.S.A. provide roof control plans and make inspections and grant-approvals of principles of support and minimum support in pillar extraction, with provision for modifications with time. Guidance is given with training programmes and standards of supervision. All of these aspects are approached in the spirit of the Congress declaration that the first priority and concern must be the health and safety of the miner.

Jan 1, 1974

By Travis G. A

The Mons Cupri Cu-Pb-Zn deposit is situated within a complex Archaean volcanic sequence dominated by rhyolitic fragmental rocks. This sequence is underlain by a 150 m group of rhyolitic ash flow tuffs with minor conglomerate and sandstone, and is overlain by approximately 180 m of dacite and andesite flows. The Mons Cupri sequence itself consists of several elongate or circular rhyolite domes, flanked by rhyolitic fragmental rocks ranging up to 400 m in thickness away from the domes. The lithology of clasts (typically 1 cm to 1.5 m in size) provides strong evidence that the flanking fragmental unit was derived by explosive eruptions associated with the rhyolite domes. An approximately 15 m thick shale horizon, bleached and silicified at its base, overlies both the rhyolite domes and the frag- mental unit. A south-dipping chloritic pipe-like body, with near-surface dimensions of 1,000 by 250 m and narrowing at depth to produce a cone-shaped cross section, lies within the rhyolitic frag- mental rocks about 250 m north of the largest rhyolite'dome in the Mons Cupri vicinity. Its east west elongation parallels that of the rhyolite dome. Ghost fragments indicate that the material in this fissure is a severely chloritized derivative of the rhyolitic frag- mental unit. The chloritic pipe is overlain

Jan 1, 1973