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By D. V. Ramani, M. M. Kissel, M. T. Ityokumbul

Experiments were carried out to determine the efficacy of bubble column flocculation. An acid-base neutralization method was used to determine the mixing time in a 0.064- by 1.5-m bubble column equipped with a Mottporous sparger. The mixing times decreased as the tracer injection point approached the gas sparger. Preliminary flocculation experiments on two clay samples were carried out. The effects of frother addition and airflow rate are presented and discussed.

Jan 1, 2000

By R. Fernando

"The Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (NIOSH-OMSHR) currently is leading an effort in the development of the next-generation self-escape apparatus as part of the research imperative directed by the MINER Act of 2006. A multifaceted contract program over the past 3 years delivered key components and base breathing modules to form the basis for developing backpack and vest-style versions of dockable self-contained (closed-circuit) self-escape respirators with hoods (CCMERs). This paper outlines the current status in developing the CCMER that incorporates a docking and switch-over valve (DSOV) for seamless transfer from one breathing device to another, and a hood with an inner mask and speech diaphragm (HMC) for ease of donning, ease of use, and communication ability. Three versions of the CCMER are being pursued, namely: the CCMER-B, which can be worn as a backpack and incorporates the features of a miner’s belt; the CCMER-V, which is worn similar to a miner’s vest and attaches to a miner’s belt; and the CCMER-C, a breathing module cached along the escape route that can be docked to the -B and -V versions. Human factors considerations are a key element in the CCMER design, as it is to be continually worn by the miner while underground, and must be readily accessible for deployment when needed. The CCMERs are designed to be capable of being certified to 42 CFR part 84 standards, including sub-part O for mine use, and to meet MSHA permissibility regulations for use in underground mines. They are sized for sufficient oxygen capacities (Cap 2 and Cap 3 as defined in sub-part O) to yield a duration that is of practical use in a mine escape scenario. INTRODUCTION The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR) is leading the development of self-escape apparatuses to provide breathing gas to mining personnel operating in the event of an emergency in various capacities underground in environments containing hazardous gas components. The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (also known as the MINER Act) and input from the mining community called for the need to move Self-Contained Self-Rescuer (SCSR) technology to a next-generation status. In response to this need, NIOSH’s Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR) established a strategic plan to develop key components and devices with help from external experts knowledgeable in breathing apparatus designs. The US Navy was identified as a key expert in this field through its extensive experience in diving apparatus and life support systems, and development work commenced through Inter-Agency Agreements with OMSHR. A contracts program was also launched with industry experts specializing in this field. This paper outlines the current status in developing the Next-Generation Closed-Circuit Mine Escape Respirators (CCMERs) that could be used for surviving and escaping from a mine following an emergency that renders the mine atmosphere irrespirable."

Jan 1, 2016

By David A. Lindsey

The world-famous beryllium deposits at Spor Mountain, northwest of Delta, Utah, are the principal resource of beryllium in the United States. Beryllium metal, beryllium-metal alloys, and beryllium oxide ceramics have a long history of specialty applications. Beryllium is used in X-ray windows, nuclear reactors: and a wide variety of industrial and electronic products. The Spor Mountain deposits are located on the western rim of the Thomas caldera, one of at least three volcanic depressions that subsided during voluminous eruption of rhyolitic ash-flow tuff in early Oligocene time. Beginning in early Miocene time, the caldera rim and its volcanic fill were cut extensively by basin-and-range faults. Basin-and-range faulting was accompanied by local eruption of high-silica rhyolite. High-silica topaz rhyolites at Spor Mountain (21 Ma) and Topaz Mountain (6 to 7 Ma) are especially rich in fluorine and lithophile trace elements such as beryllium. Topaz rhyolite of the Miocene Spor Mountain Formation, or its magma was the source of the Spor Mountain beryllium deposits. At Spor Mountain, deposits of beryllium, as submicroscopic bertrandite, Be4Si207(OH)2, occur in rhyolite tuff beneath flows and domes of topaz rhyolite. The beryllium deposits also contain minor disseminated fluorite, lithium, uranium, and anomalous traces of other lithophile elements. The host tuff, originally composed of glass, zeolite, and abundant clasts of carbonate rock, has been altered to clay and potassium feldspar. Fluorite, quartz, and opal replaced carbonate clasts in the tuff. Beryllium was deposited with fluorite in altered clasts and in the matrix of altered tuff. Fluorspar and uranium deposits are spatially and genetically associated with the beryllium deposits at Spor Mountain. Fluorspar deposits at Spor Mountain occur mostly in breccia pipes. Some fluorspar pipes contain uranium, thought to be dispersed in the structure of fluorite. Secondary uranium minerals are dispersed throughout the tuff that hosts beryllium deposits and comprise lenses of ore-grade uranium at the Yellow Chief mine.

Jan 1, 2001

By John E. Urosek, Timonthy R. Watkins

Room and pillar mining accounts for approximately 73 percent of the active gobs used in the United States in 1993. The Mine Safety and Health Administration conducted field investigations on six different types of bleeder systems used to ventilate areas mined by room and pillar methods. This paper discusses investigations that were conducted at mines using four of these systems.

Jan 1, 1995

By W. Kennedy Gauger, Tim Oolman, Debra L. Bisson

Radian Corporation (Radian) has developed a process for treating Cr(V1)-contaminated soils that involves: 1) soil washing using an alkaline extractant, 2) biological reduction of Cr(V1) to Cr(II1) in the soil wash effluent, and 3) separation of Cr(II1) from the biologically treated effluent. Biological treatment has been demonstrated for immobilized cells in fluidized bed bioreactors and suspended cells in slurry bioreactors for Cr(V1) levels ranging from 30 to 600 mg/L which have been reduced to non-detectable levels (< 0.05 mg/L; method detection limit [MDL]) during hydraulic residence times as short as 12 hours. The resulting Cr(II1)-containing effluent stream was chemically treated to precipitate chromium hydroxide for removal by physical separation.

Jan 1, 1995

By O. A. Bascur

Based on current sedimentation theory an on-line thickener model was developed and coupled with an extended Kalman Filter to obtain additional information such as the compression zone level and concentration, a corrected underflow concentration, the inventory, and some rheological information. The on-line model was installed and tested for robustness for periods up to three days in an industrial environment giving good results. Emphasis was given to signal processing and selecting the appropriate input variables for filtering. The analysis of the thickener from a phenomenlogical point of view provides for better operation, establishes the limiting operating conditions, and assists in the design of control strategies.

Jan 1, 1986

By A. A. Kornyshev, M. Burstein, S. T. Hall

The surface "roughness" of mineral particles has long been known to influence the fundamental process of particle-bubble attachment and other subprocesses in froth flotation. The physical nature of the surface of fine mineral particles can be analysed by determining their fractal geometry. A number of techniques are available to measure the fractal properties of mineral particles, these include gas adsorption, mercury porosimetry, neutron or X- ray scattering and image analysis. From the resultant Richardson plots or their Fourier-space analogs, the fractal dimension of flotation feed and product samples can be determined. Textural characteristics of particles have an influence on the stability of 3-phase flotation froths and the selectivity of recovery in the froth. Decrease of the equilibrium froth height for particles of higher fractal dimensions was experimentally established. The induction time of quartz particles of different fractal geometry has also been studied.

Jan 1, 1995

By Cyril W. Draffin

Introduction Americans have long been proud of their ability to recognize a need, define it, and then develop workable solutions. The U.S. underground coal conversion (UCC) program is a good example. In 1974, the need to utilize coal resources that could not be mined was recognized, and Congress gave the Bureau of Mines $1.7 million to gain a better understanding of the UCC technology and its potential applications. Since 1977 when the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) was formed, workable technologies have been tested, the market for underground coal conversion has been recognized, and extensive industrial interest has developed. Perspective The U.S. is blessed with extensive coal resources. Coal supplies about 19% of our national energy needs, yet recently promulgated environmental standards and increasing mining costs have limited direct coal use. UCC potentially can use coal that is economically or technically infeasible to mine because the coal is too thick, deep, dirty, high-ash, and wet; has an excessive angle of dip; or has unpredictable and poor over-burden characteristics that make mining unsafe. Coal can be gasified underground or perhaps liquefied below the earth&apos;s surface. Underground coal gasification (UCG) is the prime element of the underground coal conversion program. It enables coal to be converted to gas underground. UCC Coal Resource Recent data show a total U.S. coal resource base of about 6.4 trillion tons. Of this, 1.8 trillion tons might be accessed by UCC, including some minable coal. A commercial UCC process could quadruple roughly the 450 billion tons of U.S. coal reserves, which presently are recoverable by mining. The U.S. coal resources are divided into five sectors. The two most eastern sectors contain relatively thin, swelling bituminous coals that are difficult to gasify. Of the two, the bituminous coal in the Eastern Province is the most difficult because it is deeper than in the Interior Province and the terrain is more rugged. The sector along the Rocky Mountains contains huge amounts of thick low-rank coals that are the most promising for early development by UCC. The coal has good continuity and the terrain is suitable. Low-rank coals such as subbituminous and lignite are highly reactive and tend to shrink and disaggregate when heated. Most of the coal in the Pacific

Jan 9, 1980

By D. Marsh

The feasibility study for the Grasberg Block Cave mine, finalized in May 2008, indicated a production capacity of 160,000 tonnes per day. A rail haulage system was an integral part of the mine design. This paper describes the simulation process used in optimizing the design and discusses the key factors and variables that impact the capacity of the system. The final recommendations for the haulage level layout and associated equipment are also included.

Jan 1, 2010

By E. B. McNew, J. M. Barnes, A. E. Torma

The applicability of biosorbent materials for the removal of uranium and other heavy metals from synthetic and actual uranium mil 1 tailing (UMT) solutions has been investigated. The biosorbent materials used in this study were barium loaded beads of alginate, alginate-dextran sulfate, alginate-carrageenan, and alginate-xanthan gum. These studies were performed in stirred vessels and packed columns. It was observed that 100 percent of the uranium could be removed from a synthetic solution following 2 hours of contact time in a stirred vessel, and 80-100% of U, V, Mo, Mn, Sr, and Zn could be removed from a UMT effluent solution with a packed column. Kinetic evaluations were performed, using a generalized rate equation, on the biosorption of uranium with these barium loaded beads.

Jan 1, 1992

By Ramamritham Sridhar, Vaikuntam I. Lakshmanan, Dan A. Macki

Historically, introducing new technology to the mining industry has been problematic. In general, the industry is reluctant to take risks with new technology because it is already heavily tied to risk, even using existing technology. Risk in the orebody itself can be substantial. The company is dependent on drill hole patterns that are expected to define what is underground, and process test work is often based on drill cores and other samples, which occasionally produce surprises. And even well-proven processing techniques can blindside the producer, resulting in embarrassing and costly difficulties. But if the industry is to grow in knowledge and become more efficient, new ideas must be introduced. How to introduce new technology is the essence of this paper.

Jan 1, 2001

By James S. Redpath

INTRODUCTION Background Early in 1972 our firm was asked by Cominco, managers of Arvik Mines Limited, to carry out an underground exploration programme referred to as the "Polaris Project" on a zinc-lead deposit in Canada&apos;s High Arctic. We had carried out numerous projects in the far north but this was to be the first long decline driven in perma-frost. Despite the short notice it was possible to meet the quickly approaching summer shipping deadline. We were able to do this by drawing heavily on our own and Cominco&apos;s background in Arctic operations. The project was an excellent example of owner-contractor co-operation and this spirit was responsible for the success of the project. Unusual Aspects There were a number of unusual aspects of the Polaris Project which are discussed in this paper. The extremely remote location, the short shipping season, and the fact that the work was carried out in permanently frozen ground, when combined with the lack of handy fresh water and a very severe climate, make it unique in many respects. Despite these handicaps, a record was set during the driving of the exploration decline.

Jan 1, 1974

By K. L. Whitehead, R. A. Jankowski, N. I. Jayaraman

Most continuous miner sections utilizing flooded-bed scrubbers also use blowing face ventilation. Blowing ventilation, however, interferes with dust capture and minimizes scrubber effectiveness. To enhance the efficiency of the scrubber system and reduce dust concentrations, the Bureau of Mines tested various combinations of operating parameters. Experiments for system efficiency took place in a full- scale model mine at 3.05 m roof height. In general, higher values for scrubber and face airflows resulted in lower dust concentrations. In addition, optimum dust controls would include a face ventilation to scrubber airflow ratio of one. When the airflow ratio was either less than or greater than one, the dust levels in the return and at the operator locations increased. No single dust control technique was the most effective one at all locations due to mutual interaction among techniques.

Jan 1, 1992

By V. J. Kecojevic, W. A. Wilkinson

Mining companies are increasingly looking at Global Positioning System (GPS) technology coupled with 3D mine planning and visualization systems to deliver increased productivity and reduction in operating costs in drilling and blasting operations. Leveraging GPS into drill and blast operations requires that a drilling plan be developed and imported into the GPS to guide the operation to a planned and desirable outcome. State-of-the-art mine planning software systems provide the engineer with a 3D environment in which to design and visualize drill and blast plans. This paper discusses producing and exporting 3D drill and blast plans to GPS and how some coal companies are utilizing GPS and mine planning software technology in the drill and blast process.

Jan 1, 2004

By F. G. Miller, M. Polat, S. Chander

Flotation was used to achieve improved separation of magnetite from the float and sink products obtained from heavy medium separation and to reduce the load of the medium cleaning circuit. The investigation was carried out in two successive phases. In the first phase, tests were performed on in-plant samples from the Homer City Coal Perdition plant to determine what effects variables such as medium density, particle size and magnetite source had on the efficiency of the process. In the second phase, the optimum conditions determined in the first phase were used to determine the applicability of the process to other selected coals from central Pennsylvania. It was observed that flotation was very effective in the separation of magnetite from coal. In most of the cases investigated, the magnetite recovery was approximately 99% with a magnetite grade ranging from 95 to 99%. The grade of the magnetite decreased as the ash content of the coal increased and the particle size of the magnetite decreased.

Jan 1, 1994

By Taira Emoto, Hikozou Imaoka, Sohta Takatsu, Takeshi Suzuki, Yoshihito Minami

An Oval Section TBM (tunnel boring machine) enables excavation of tunnel with elliptical cross section by inclining the cutterhead. It is developed to utilize the proven conventional TBM technology with minimum modifications. Various types of tunnels which are preferred to have non-circular cross section can be economically excavated, reducing both overbreak and the amount of muck produced. On the other hand, an inclined cutterhead may create a number of new problems, such as in excavation efficiency and steering that are unknown in excavation works using a circular TBM. This paper reports on verification tests carried out to examine the extent of such problems using experimental models of the machine in an attempt to confirm the feasibility of the Oval Section TBM.

Jan 1, 1997

Mining was the first economic activity carried out in Cuba, by the colonial conquerous, i.e. gold extraction from rivers and use of asphalt to calk their ships; however, due to different historic reasons only a limited development took place in this field during the colonial domination. During the republican period beginning early in this century, other interests lead to a larger scale exploitation of some known deposits. From the beginning of the century up to the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, not less than the following figures were extracted of some Cuban minerals: Refractory Chromium 3,300,000t Manganese 7,650,000 t Copper 9,000,000 t Iron 22,000,000 t Nickel 150,000 t (Ni oxide and sulphide These productions were practically directed to cover the demands of the U.S., industry and some-times these Cuban ores were almost the sole suppliers of the market.

Jan 1, 1978

By Bernd Hagenah, Hans-Peter Vetsch, Eric Jones, Sean Cassady, Danielle Johnson, Petr Pospisil

There are a number of issues associated with freight trains in non-electrified tunnels that are fundamental during the planning and operation of a rail tunnel. During uphill operation, increased air temperatures at the air intake locations of diesel trains can reduce diesel motor efficiency (stalling/choking) and affect HVAC systems. Strong airflows can aggravate fire scenarios due to fanning or water-reactive cargo materials. This paper focuses on the impact of freight trains on tunnel safety concepts, strategies to overcome heat issues at locomotive air inlets and air quality in tunnels operating diesel trains.

Dec 1, 2022

By J. C. Yingling, J. W. Leonard

Introduction The absence of coal-face particle management heavily penalizes the transportation of coal from initial loading to final consumption. The penalties include dust problems, significantly reduced mine-loading-cycle productivity, mine-belt spillage, excessively high coal-preparation costs, chute blockages and dangerous pulverizer blockages at the final point of utilization. Fine particles commonly cause environmental and economic problems. It is well known that these fines can cause safety and environmental dust problems. But it is not well understood that these fines can also swell broken coal to a point where 5% to 15% more time and capacity must be used to deliver the same tonnage. In this paper, methods and rewards for reducing and/or managing fines at the mine face are discussed. Computer-based loading-cycle model productivity estimates, viewed from a new perspective, are made on the basis of material volume rather than on the long-established, and frequently misleading, basis of tonnage. It is typically the volume of broken material being transported that defines the capacity of a given transportation system, while the corresponding tonnages are merely a reflection of the specific material densities. Published evidence suggests that the swelling of broken coal can be decreased very significantly using small quantities of certain nonfrothing chemicals, which are added to mine-face spray water, and by employing improved mine-face breakage practices. In a future paper, the effects on transportation productivity beyond the coal mine will be discussed. The precursor to the work presented in this paper, involving the bulk density improvement for broken coal and the subsequent production gains for underground coal mines, was earlier presented in Leonard and Newman (1989). In the past, this topic has been studied and practiced only in byproduct coking in the steel industry. However, a potential exists for an increase in coal-industry productivity by improving the bulk density of coal to yield a subsequent reduction in delivered cost. This can occur with breakage, handling and treatment methods resulting in the loading of greater quantities of coal in fixed volumetric capacity haulage units such as mine cars, shuttle cars and scoops. Laboratory-based experiments to achieve an increase in productivity by increasing coal bulk density were discussed in Leonard, Paradkar and Groppo (1992). Chemical techniques using small quantities of commercially available reagents (surfactants) resulted in about a 13% to 15 % increase in bulk density, which was thought to produce a proportional increase in the productivity of a mine, together with a subsequent reduction in cost. The idea is to mix the reagents with the water that is used to spray coal during mining. In this paper, the impact of bulk density improvements on production rates is presented. Increases in production ranging from 60% to 88% of the bulk density increases are projected. This analysis was performed for atypical continuous-miner section. In the following sections, discussion and results of the analysis are presented. Discussion An analysis was performed to ascertain the impact of bulk density improvements on face-production rates for a typical continuous-miner section. Figure 1 illustrates the section layout and cut sequence. This layout and sequence is identical to the case described in King and Suboleski (1991). As can be seen, the section uses five entries and 12.2-m cuts that are taken by a remotely controlled continuous miner. The seam height is 1.5 m and two shuttle cars (5.7 t nominal capacity) are employed for haulage from the miner to the section feeder, which, throughout the cut sequence, is positioned as illustrated in Fig. 1. The simulation model was coded in the SIMAN simulation language. The major impacts of increased bulk density improvements on such a production system are as follows: •Shuttle-car payloads, in terms of the mass of coal transported per haul cycle, are increased proportionally to the increase in bulk density that results from the application of surfactant. •Shuttle-car discharge times should remain largely unchanged, because they are determined by the volume of material that is discharged, rather than the mass, and this volume does not change.

Jan 1, 1996

By H. M. Conger

I&apos;m really very pleased to be talking with you today about the environmental impacts of gold ore processing as part of this symposium on emerging process technologies for a cleaner environment. But before I talk about some of the newer developments that are coming, I would like to set the stage by reviewing some of the recent past. Over the last decade or so the U.S. gold mining industry has experienced remarkable growth, primarily in heap leaching operations, and not surprisingly there has been parallel growth of environmental regulations. At Homestake, we have had the excitement of bringing on-line a new mine embodying state-of-the-art technology and environmental planning, and during the same period the flagship of our company, the Homestake mine, has been brought into modern day compliance through the application of innovative environmental technology. This has been a learning process; in both cases we found that we had to develop new ways to meet our objectives. At our McLaughlin mine in California a major achievement was pioneering the use of pressure oxidation, or autoclaves, for refractory gold ores, and at the Homestake it was the development of a unique bio-treatment plant for wastewater. These projects were developed balancing operational goals, environmental concerns and costs, and I would submit that being cost-effective is our greatest challenge in the development of new, environmentally sound, process technology. In meeting that challenge, our job has not been made any easier by the myriad environmental laws and regulations that directly affect the design and operation of our facilities. Most of these constraints have evolved through the political process more or less independently, but in their application there often are over-lapping provisions. Adding to this complexity is the fact that action takes place in both state and federal arenas. As a result, state and federal roles sometimes become intertwined, and a good case in point is provided by various cyanide issues faced by gold producers. The vast majority of U.S. gold mining takes place in the so-called "mineral States," the western States that come under the Mining Law of 1872 as amended. This is the basic statute that provides for access and tenure to develop mineral resources on federal lands in those states. There is gold mining outside the defined mineral States, and there is also gold mining in the mineral States on private lands. Our own Homestake mine in South Dakota is one of the best examples of the latter category: located entirely on private land, it is nevertheless subject to at least 13 federal environmental statutes and some 29 federal regulatory requirements. There are also nine significant state statutory and regulatory requirements that apply. On federal lands in the mineral States there are numerous federal statutes and regulations which affect mining, over and above the current Mining Law. These, which are in addition to the laws applying to private land, include the National Environmental Protection Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, among others. Still, those who advocate radical changes in the basic Mining Law would have us believe that sweeping environmental protection and reclamation provisions, not to mention new land use restrictions, are needed. Such changes could effectively prohibit mining on the federal public lands. Strict enforcement of our current Mining Law would have presented most of the abuses cited by the critics but if the Law is to be changed at all, I believe that, at a minimum, the principles of self-initiation and security of tenure embodied in the present statute should be maintained. These are critically important concepts, but there are other statutory and regulatory issues constantly before us as gold miners. Let me cite a few examples: Reauthorization of RCRA There are several bills being considered by Congress to amend the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) that have as their theme

Jan 1, 1992