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By William L. Meyer

With high expectations and promises, computers were introduced to the mining industry in the late 1950s and 1960s. Applications spread in the 1970s when capabilities began to catch up to early promises, and people within the industry began to see the benefits of using computers in business and engineering. The 1980s have seen a wide acceptance of computers, both large and small, and the use of computers is accelerating throughout the industry. Computers have changed dramatically over the last 25 years. The power of some microcomputers matches the capabilities of main frame computers from less than 10 years ago. The variety of software on these micros exceeds what is available on many larger computers today. Changes over the next 10 years are likely to be greater than those of the last 10 years. Making use of available computer technology while trying to cope with the rapid changes in this industry will take much effort within mining. To take advantage of existing computers, consider and evaluate: project needs and applications; professional, administrative, and support personnel; computer software and technology; and computer and related hardware. Note that this list is in the order of decreasing importance. These categories are also presented in the order for which organization and solutions should be provided to get the most out of computers. To start with a computer and go up the list has cost many mining companies needless expenditures, wear and tear on personnel, and frustration. It is assumed for this article that the need for computer tools is self evident. You can do without a computer by using the appropriate techniques (manual methods) with any required shortcuts plus a lot of personnel time. Indeed, several companies are doing that as a "solution" to what to do with their excess engineering personnel in these lean times. However, the future may be better served if some of these people could be prepared to handle the applications and technology presently available. People and Problems To present the factors related to turning the computer into a productivity aide, it may be enlightening to examine some common people problems that reduce productivity. The most valuable resource any mining company has is its mining professionals. And, particularly with computers, people either make the successes or create the barriers, not the machines. The following list of people problems (syndromes and complexes) has been amply observed during some 23 years of the author's experience with computers and their applications in mining. Home Grown Syndrome - "Nobody else can really understand my problem or provide `exactly' what I need to solve it." While there may be some truth to this syndrome, it would be an unusual project that cannot be handled with existing solutions for at least 75-80% of the needs. Having a base to build on will also speed the development of any remaining needs. It does not seem justified to start all over for a new application, even if "our problem is unique." Not Invented Here Syndrome - This "justification" for the continued existence and budgets of some groups has various forms: "It wasn't done here so it obviously can't do the project the way I think it should be done"; and, "If it wasn't invented here, it obviously

Jan 11, 1983

The day after I reached New York, on January 30th, John Ryan of Anaconda told me where they wanted me to go. Late in 1916 the Russian Czar, desperate for money and supplies with which to carry on his unhappy share In the first World War, sent emissaries to the United States to see if our great mining companies might be interested in trying to find mines and to bring them to production in the millions of acres of the Imperial Estates in Russia and Siberia. It looked like a long chance as no one knew whether or where there might be important ore bodies. Even if they found them it might be a hopeless task to equip them under wartime conditions But the American copper companies had plenty of money and they were used to taking risks. They made a supersecret agreement with the Czar's deputies to send an exploring expedition to Russia at once I never learned the names of the other companies but Anaconda was to man- age the venture. Horace Winchell, then the leading mine geologist In the United States, was to be in charge of operations. Charles Janin, an eminent placer and dredge expert, was to study chances for producing gold and platinum. Though at 33 years of age I was much younger than the others, I was chosen to hunt for copper and other valuable metals. Charles Boynton, a business man who had lived in Russia and had married an attractive Russian woman, was to join the party and carry on any necessary financial or diplomatic affairs. He had gone on ahead to arrange for our reception Finally a graduate student from Ann Arbor named Steinberg was to go along as Interpreter. We soon found out that if his Russian was no better than his English his interpretlng couldn't be trusted too much I knew nothing about the millions of square miles In Russia and Siberia, and even less about what mineral deposits might be found, but I was delighted at the prospect. I was treading on air for the few

Jan 1, 1976

By A. E. Prokop, J. P. Rider

Previous research on continuous mining operations has shown that significant interactions exist between dust-control parameter application and the resulting respirable dust levels. However, simply increasing the level of the controls does not guarantee a reduction in respirable dust levels. Full-scale laboratory tests are being conducted to provide information to longwall operators that would assist them in selecting control parameters to reduce dust levels for mine-specific conditions. The interactions between face air velocity, shearer water quantity, drum water spray pressure, external water spray pressure and spray system design were evaluated in a simulated 2.13-m (7 ft) coal seam for two cutting directions. Locations around and downwind of the shearer were monitored to evaluate relative changes in respirable dust levels as a function of each control parameter.

Jan 1, 2003

By Solomon S. Katz

As more and more computer software is written for geological mapping applications, the users of the software are discovering the problems of transferring data between the programs, maintaining correct data and integrating maps produced last week with those produced today. One way to deal with these situations is by using a geographic information system (GIs). Last September the USGS and National Academy of Science held a 5-day GIs symposium on integrating technology and geoscience applications (USGS, 1988). It was followed in October by GEOTECH '88 (Peters and Krajewski 1989) which had a session exclusively for GIs applications in the Geo-Sciences. Editorials in Geobyte (Leonard, 1986, 1988) suggested that geographic information systems will be the next major computer programs to be adopted by the mineral industries. As far- back is 1985, the Computer Oriented Geological Society (COGS) printed An Introduction to GIs in their newsletter (Katz, 1985). About 20 years ago, a revolutionary idea occurred in the world of business data processing. It was the idea that all related data be stored in a standard format, in a single place and that all related computer application programs would use the same data.

Jan 1, 1989

By L. Alan Weakly

The purpose of this paper is to present a viable method of reinforcing rock pillars by utilizing fully grouted reinforcing steel and a cement - fly ash mortar. Although the fully bonded bolt concept is not new, as exemplified by the present widespread use of resin bolts within United States mines and by the use of cement grouted reinforcing used as back pins in the Kiruna Iron Ore Mine in northern Sweden, (1) (2) the method of stabilizing mine pillars with fully bonded reinforcing is new. This method, called the "grout-rebar system", was first incorporated at St. Joe Minerals Corporation’s Fletcher Mine in December of 1972. The system was used on an emergency basis before extensive research on the mechanics of the system could be completed. Since December of 1972, however, approximately 206 pillars have been reinforced at Fletcher and the system is currently being used on a regular basis at two other St. Joe mines and at two competitor mines in the area. Basically, this paper is a case study of the efforts, research and results of utilizing the grout-rebar system, on a selective basis, at the Fletcher Mine. In addition to information about the system, this paper will explain in detail the three rock mechanics instruments developed by St. Joe and used to measure and monitor rock movement to validate the grout- rebar system.

Jan 1, 1977

By M. C. Roberts

The success of any industrial mineral project requires an accurate forecast of the demand for the material. This paper develops a general method of evaluating these needs and applies it to the case of graphite. The basic method is to explain graphite consumption in each of its major uses by the output and manufacturing technology of the using industry. Once these underlying factors are determined, they can be projected to establish future requirements. This demand forecast is critical to the evaluation of a new source of supply, such as the graphite resources of upper Michigan.

Jan 1, 1989

By H. I. Morrison, A. J. deVilliers, D. T. Wigle, H. Stocker

INTRODUCTION At the end of 1959, high levels of radioactivity attributed to radon and its daughter products were discovered in the fluorspar mines at St. Lawrence, Newfoundland. These levels were presumed to be the cause of an unusually high incidence of lung cancer among the fluorspar miners (deVilliers & Windish, 1964) (Parsons et al. 1964). The mining of fluorspar (calcium fluoride) began in 1933 as open pit operations but converted to standard underground mining procedures in 1936. During the second world war, production was greatly expanded as a result of increased demand for fluorspar used in the production of steel. Wet drilling was first introduced into general use in 1942. Ventilation was mainly by natural draft occasionally supplemented by small blowers. The amount of ventilation varied greatly between mines as well as over time. For example, one large mine, the Iron Springs mine, had only a single small raise to the surface some 600' from the central shaft. Other mines, such as the Director mine, had a number of raises to the surface and, as a result, had far better ventilation. Mines also varied by the amount of ground-water which seeped into them. In the early 1950's, an unusually large number of lung cancer cases were diagnosed among the fluorspar miners. As a result, in 1956 and 1957, J.P. Windish of Canada's Department of Health and Welfare tested for possible causative agents in the mines. Unfortunately, radon measurements were not conducted until 1959 and 1960 when Windish tested Director mine as did the A.D. Little company in 1960. As a result of the high radon levels found, mechanical ventilation was introduced and the concentration of radon dauthers fell, on the average to well below 1 WL. During this period, lung cancer cases continued to be diagnosed with 29 lung cancer deaths recorded by 1964 and 71 by 1971. As of July 1981, 105 lung cancer cases had been identified (Hollywood, 1981). Previous reports concerning the fluorspar miners have dealt in detail with the factors in the occupational environment and discussed occupational mortality patterns. The purpose of this paper is to review further the mortality experience with particular reference to lung cancer in relation to cumulated radiation exposure and to describe briefly our ongoing study of this group. METHODS Occupational histories were prepared for men who had been employed by the mining companies at St. Lawrence during the period 1933 to 1977. The histories were compiled from company records except for the period 1933 to 1936, records for which were lost in a fire; however, the occupational histories for this period were completed by searching census records and interviewing company officials, ex-employees and others. In addition, occupational and smoking histories were also obtained for some miners during a survey conducted in 1978. Occupational records included name and date of birth as well as the type, place and hours of work by year. For each year prior to 1960, hours of work were converted to working months (1 WM = 167 hours) and were multiplied by the estimated average radon daughter concentration in working levels (WL) to yield the annual radiation exposure in working level months (WLM). Pre-1960 radiation levels were estimated on the basis of the history of mining methods employed, ventilation history of the mine, type and place of work and conditions under which the first radiation measurements were made in 1959 and 1960 (deVilliers and Windish, 1964). During the period from 1960 to 1967, the average exposure was about 0.5 WL. Beginning in 1968, radiation levels were measured more frequently, and, beginning in 1969, daily exposures for each worker were recorded based on radiation levels in the place worked on a given day. Mortality data were obtained from medical certificates of death. In a small number of cases, medically certified death certificates were unavailable. In these cases, probable cause of death were obtained from forms completed by the local clergyman (returns of death), parish records, information obtained from interviews with family members of the deceased and/or hospital information, before assigning a cause of death. Data obtained from these sources were found in Tables 1, 2 and 4, cover the time period 1933 to 1971. Data in Table 3 as well as in Figures 1 through 3 cover deaths from 1933 to 1977, and includes only those miners for whom medical certificates of death were available. Two medically certified causes of death were changed from other causes to lung cancer on the basis of pathology reports.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. R. Klimpel

During the period of 1973-79, an extensive period of research and development was undertaken by Klimpel and coworkers (1980, 1981, 1982a, 1982b, 1983. 1984, 1987) on the identification of a commercially viable chemically assisted approach to improving the efficiency of the wet grinding of coals and ores in tumbling media mills. The emphasis of the previous publications just listed was on the engineering use implications of controlling-slurry viscosity (rheology) in laboratory and plant scale grinding devices. In this paper, some discussion and results pertaining to the actual chemical screening phase will be presented.

Jan 1, 1988

By F. P. Schwarz, A. J. Erickson, S. M. Weber

The Mount Hope stockwork molybdenum exposit, Eureka County, Nevada, occurs in a small igneous cauldron complex 32 to 38 mybp in age. The deposit is characterized by alteration zones and mineralized shells symmetrically distributed around multiple intrusives. For samples from the 25 000 meters of 1981-82 drilling, an appraisal of error in in-house sample preparation and in commercial assaying has been made. After splitting, drill core is crushed and reduced in volume (8:1 at 10-mesh, 8:1 at 70-mesh, 6:1 at 200-mesh) to supply 25 grams of 200-mesh pulp for replicate analyses. A 0.5 g portion of the pulp is used for dissolution and atomic absorption analyses. Factors which initially generated unacceptable data variances have been minimized by planning, repeat analyses, introduction of standards, and routine monitoring. Assuming that error between replicate assays defines a Gaussian distribution with its average ideally equal to zero, precision (from preparation including core splitting and analysis of 8400 pairs of molybdenum samples) is on the order of + 25%. The error distribution is not biased. Accuracy is approximately 4% lower than absolute as determined by replicate assays of commercially prepared samples.

Jan 1, 1992

By Larry Murphy, Mohammad R. Jafari, David M. Giel, Sharat K. Kalluri

"Built in 1940’s to provide a key roadway arterial between New York and Boston, the Heroes Tunnel is the only highway rock tunnel in the state of Connecticut and is part of the Wilbur Cross Parkway. This 365.0 m long tunnel consists of two barrels, each with two lanes of traffic, and carries over 71,000 vehicles per day. For nearly 70 years, the tunnel has seen millions of vehicles pass through but time has taken its toll and now the tunnel lining, ventilation system and radial section joints are significantly deteriorated and in need of rehabilitation. Owned and maintained by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), CTDOT initiated a unique managed approach to mitigate the risk, social impacts and financial implications associated with rehabilitation of this tunnel. This new approach consists of performing field inspection and conducting a comprehensive study to explore six rehabilitation options, including construction of new tunnels and enlarging the existing tunnels. The main criteria for this study are: Impact on traffic and the resulting delay cost; Construction cost; Construction duration; and Construction complexity. This paper will present the results of the alternative study. PROJECT BACKGROUND Location and Importance Heroes Tunnel is located in the State of Connecticut within the Town of Woodbridge and the City of New Haven near the Town of Hamden border. Heroes Tunnel is the only true highway tunnel in the State of Connecticut. The tunnel is part of the Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15), a scenic connection between Hartford and New York. Originally constructed and opened to traffic in 1949, the tunneled portion of the parkway passes through the West Rock Ridge. The tunnel was originally named West Rock Tunnel, but was re-designated as Heroes Tunnel in 2003. Route 15 is a vital roadway within the State transportation infrastructure. In the vicinity of Heroes Tunnel, Route 15 carries approximately 71,000 vehicles daily. Locally, Route 15 provides access to residences, shopping centers, and points of interest, as well as other state roadways. Regionally, Route 15 connects New York to the Hartford area and serves as an alternate expressway route to I-95 and I-91. The tunnel is approximately 365.0 m long and passes through the West Rock Ridge. West Rock Ridge is an 11.3 km long rock ridge located on the west side of New Haven. A network of suburban streets abuts the mountain on all sides and a seasonal paved park road climbs to the crest of the ridge. Figure 1 depicts the tunnel topography and location."

Jan 1, 2016

By Lynn B. Hales, Randy Ynchausti, Jeffrey D. Mckay

Many consider rougher flotation control to be more of an art than a science. Some have even thought it impossible to make process control decisions and changes without human interaction. Controlling flotation bank pulp levels to maintain consistent pulling rates in the face of changing feed slurry flow rates, varying mineral types, and inconsistent reagent additions can be daunting. However, an advanced supervisory control strategy was installed on the plant floor to control an industrial rougher flotation circuit with little or no operator interaction. Plant staff monitored the flotation circuit under supervisory control and reported benefits of up to 4% improvement in copper recovery above that achieved with an older supervisory control strategy. To accomplish this work, a novel use of instrumentation to solve a flotation bank pulp level control problem was employed, a new implementation approach was used to correct some flaws in the older approach, and careful attention was paid to a few key process control principles. This paper discusses important aspects of these activities.

Jan 1, 2000

By V. Srajer

Several optimization approaches used by the Canadian mining industry were used to investigate surface coal mining operations in Canada. A computer program was applied to optimize truck/shovel systems and for various analyses. The analyses of eight western Canadian coal mines included investigation of fleet imbalance, under- and over trucking, development of the criteria for automated truck control, comparison study of various haulers and loaders, haulage layout, driving conditions, machine performance, servicing and maintenance policies, etc. Each property investigated supplied background information for the study and cooperated in optimization studies. The truck/shovel system optimization study is demonstrated as a test case to outline procedures and step-by-step instruction for similar applications.

Jan 1, 1989

By Eugene Honeycutt, David Gallagher, R. E. Melley, Nick Madison

Drummond Co. Inc.'s Shoal Creek Mine slope conveyor is the highest lift, highest horsepower, highest tension conveyor system in North America. The system has a capacity of 4950 t/h (5500 tph), a vertical lift of 360 m (1180 ft) and a total connected power of 6000 kw (8000 hp). The mine will include 2 longwall machines and 5 to 7 development sections. Annual raw production will approach 9 million tly (10 million tpy). This paper describes the early investigation of system capacity, haulage system options, and the final selection of a single flight belt conveyor. It will review the basic system de- sign and equipment selected. Also included will be some highlights of the installation of the conveyor system.

Jan 1, 1996

By Stuart R. Cotterill, Jack D. Nelmark

Introduction Opencast surface mining requires blasthole drilling to achieve mine planning. No single method of mining is right for all conditions. Occasionally, mine planners introduce a project with little regard to drilling and blasting. These costs are usually a significant percentage of total mine overhead. One drilling and blasting method that can be used to reduce overall mine expense is inclined or angle hole drilling. But inclined-hole drilling will not cut costs unless a set of required circumstances is met. Several conditions of mine design indicate the use of angle drilling. Geotechnical problems must first be analyzed. Primary considerations are safety, fragmentation, production, and maintenance. Secondary considerations are, in some instances, reduction in amount of explosives, which lowers blasting costs; reduction of practical fragmentation beyond blasting pattern limits; and reductions in overall costs due to reduced volume of excavation. Future trends in blasthole drilling may include incorporation of drill equipment designed to allow rapid change from vertical to inclined drilling. This will allow the operator to adapt to changing hole requirements with minimal production loss. Another improvement may be the ability to chamber holes at any elevation throughout the hole depth. This will allow more charge to be placed at strategic locations to improve fragmentation. Merits of Drilling Inclined Holes Drilling is performed to create voids for explosives. It is done either to recover minerals or to excavate a volume of earth. The manner of mining or excavation can greatly affect the economics of the overall project. Many innovations and methods have been tried, but the most practical and economical is still drilling holes and using explosives to fragment the material. To break up the material, the practice has been to place charges within the mass. This is done by drilling holes of a specific diameter and depth into the material. The holes are of such magnitude as to develop sufficient energy to break or loosen this material, providing for easier removal. In general, more open or exposed faces must exist to aid material breakage when blasting. Inclined drilling can be advantageous in open-cut mining with highwall depths of at least 24 m (80 ft). A minimum of two faces are open in open-cut mining and the material can be thrown outward to cover pre-mined volume. This cuts cost by eliminating the need to remove or relocate a large portion of material. Sometimes the material is of such a mass that more energy per unit is required to loosen it than can easily be done by blasting vertically. Inclined holes allow a more uniform loading of drilled holes. The unit of energy is raised, so little or no secondary blasting is required. This usually comes about only if the main plan calls for drilling holes deeper than 24 m (80 ft). For shallow holes, spacing and burden can be made closer to allow sufficient energy to blast the toe. If the open face is in only one

Jan 9, 1984

By R. W. Smith, D. L. Taylor, K. A. Altman

The importance of metallurgical information in reaching appropriate decisions during the development of mining projects is demonstrated. A financial analysis is calculated using discrete system simulation. The results are compared to the results of a traditional sensitivity analysis. The traditional analysis is shown to have the potential to overestimate the value of mining projects. The type of statistical distribution used in a random number generator affects the results significantly. The statistical method of analysis provides insight into the amount of metallurgical testing needed and provides verification of how representative the samples are.

Jan 1, 2002

By G. D. Hood, B. E. Davis

A problem that has continued to plague the Florida phosphate industry is loss of coarse phosphate in the flotation circuit. Attempts to remedy this problem such as floating the coarse material (plus 425 µm) in a separate circuit have resulted in limited success, but recovery is still not optimum. A fundamental examination of the mechanisms involved in the conditioning of the coarse phosphate has led to results that seem to supersede common paradigms. The Bureau of Mines investigated conditioning parameters such as fatty acid/fuel oil dosage, residual clay content in the feed, conditioning time, mixing intensity, and conditioner solids content. The study revealed that the effect of all these parameters was important. However, it was discovered that contrary to common beliefs, the conditioning time affected the grade of the rougher concentrate much more than the recovery. Specifically, the longer the conditioning time, the less quartz that was floated. It was also discovered that high mixing intensity conditioners could lower the conditioning time required for good grade. Many phosphate operators use low intensity drum type conditioners. Optimizing the conditioning time, mixing intensity, and other conditioning parameters resulted in a rougher concentrate grading 30 pct P.2O5, with an attendant recovery of 95 pct.

Jan 1, 1993

By H. E. Goetzman

A cooperative research project supported by the taconite industry and the Minnesota DNR was undertaken to establish quality standards for carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) based organic binders. The objective of this study was to identify the effect of CMC quality parameters such as degree of substitution, molecular weight, and purity as well as the effect of inorganic extenders such as sodium carbonate on performance. These factors have been evaluated by green-ball testing with two taconite concentrates followed by pot-grate tests. Balling tests with bentonite and Peridur were conducted to provide baseline data. At a constant DS the molecular weight as measured by viscosity had the greatest effect on green-ball drop strength. Dry-ball compression strength was most dependent on CMC addition rate and sodium carbonate content. DS was not found to have a major effect on green-ball quality for medium molecular weight CMC.

Jan 1, 1988

By André Vervoort, Jef Caers

Compound lognormal distributions serve as new generalized distribution laws for analyzing and estimating ore value distributions or related properties such as the average ore grade. These models are an alternative to the well known lognormal distribution. They are the translation of general geological constraints on the genesis of the deposit cumulated in suitable statistical properties. In this paper a maximum likelihood framework is established for estimating the parameters of such laws or parameter functions thereof. It is shown that under certain conditions maximum likelihood estimation is accurate and efficient in estimating the mean value even when relatively few samples are available. The method is based on a numerical maximization of the likelihood function of these models given the data. Confidence limits on these estimates are set up using resampling techniques such as the bootstrap. By this a complete methodology is presented for inference on ore grade distributions such as is shown in an example of gold data from the Merriespruit mine (South Africa) and the diamond size distribution of the Bougban deposit (Guinea).

Jan 1, 1996

Eldorado Resources Ltd.(ERL) uses a solvent extraction process for the processing of uranium ores. The solvent extraction plant consists of 4 extraction and 5 stripping stages with regeneration carried out as required (Wyper, 1982). Extraction is carried out with a solvent consisting of 4.5 vol % Alamine 336, 4.5 vol % Isodecanol and 91 vol % kerosene. The extraction step can be represented as In equation (1).

Jan 1, 1988

By John W. Rushton

Maintenance and inventory are usually the last items considered in mine development. They need to be addressed properly and early. The micro-computer brings sophistication within the reach of even the smallest mines. Maintenance and inventory programs, if properly installed, will reduce costs 15 to 25% and allow management time to address the mining and metallurgical problems at start up. Shops and warehouses are rarely designed properly. Large engineering firms spend 5 to 20 times more than is necessary for first class facilities. There is an optimum design, size, and layout. Take the time necessary to assure you get the right people, programs, and facilities in that order. Maintenance, inventory, and inventory control must be addressed early if a small mine is to have a chance at optimizing costs during the first two years of operation. This is hard work and is usually put on the back burner until the mine is in some degree of trouble. Hiring an experienced maintenance superintendent is important but it is not the complete solution. Maintenance systems, design of facilities, and use of computers are not skills that maintenance people usually have. In addition, the work of ordering spare parts and working with erection people is a full time job and any maintenance people on site during construction are quickly recruited. The end result is that few mines start up with an adequate Maintenance or Inventory System in place. The months, and in some cases years, that the mine attempts to operate without a system are both painful and expensive. Designs of successful integrated maintenance and inventory programs are virtually 100% supported with some outside assistance. Our system is the approach that we are most familiar with and this paper will isolate how Rushton International would go about setting up systems and designing support facilities. Micro-computers are the only way for a small mine to go. ~ini-computers cost more originally and operating costs are many times higher than even the most sophisticated micro system. Micro- computer software is developed further and recent advances in hardware makes medium priced units equal to most mini's in RAW COMPUTER POWER. Mines in general, and especially small mines, have no need for main frame power. MAINTENANCE A good maintenance program has: 1. Equipment Master List a. Equipment Detail Reports 2. Work Order and Backlog Control Program 3. Component Control Program 4. Tire Program 5. Wear Materials Program 6. PM Control Program 7. Maintenance History Program 8. Performance Program We also track miscellaneous items such as MSHA training and inspections, timekeeping, etc. Rather than going through the program step-by-step, it makes more sense to go through a typical Maintenance Day and show how the programs are used. The first thing maintenance supervision needs to know is "how we are doing." We

Jan 1, 1987