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By C. Blawert

In previous studies of various HPDC magnesium alloys we found that the corrosion properties of the skin are inferior in comparison to the bulk, However, this is surprising as one would expect better corrosion properties for the finer microstructure of the skin, In a more detailed study using 2 and 6 mm thick sections from HPDC AZ91 step plates, the corrosion results of the original skin, the slightly removed skin and the bulk were compared, Indeed, the corrosion measurements including potentiodynamic polarization, long term polarization resistance measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) revealed a lower corrosion resistance of the original as-cast skin. An explanation for this corrosion behavior was found, on the one hand, in the microstructure concerning especially the amount and distribution of the 13-phase and, on the other hand, in the composition, including the distribution of the most important alloying element Al and of some impurities such as Fe.

Jan 1, 2005

By R. Batterham

"The history of mineral processing is indeed long and has always been tied to mining methods of the day. While many new processes and devices have been developed, the most significant trend in recent times has been the ever increasing scale of operations. There is serious doubt this ongoing trend is enough to match the global trend of falling grades and rising energy demands needed for mineral processing. As well we see that globally, the social licence to operate for mining (and hence mineral processing) is far from secure. Indeed, some argue that mining as we know it is dying and in the future, mining will be much more environmentally secure, even to the extent of insisting upon “in place” recovery and only bringing to the surface the valued product. In this paper we comment on the ramifications of broader uptake of more sustainable mining for mineral processing methods and address the specific question of whether recent progress in in place recovery will lead to a timely breakthrough. The answer proposed is that this is possible in the next 10 - 20 years but in the meantime, the focus is just as likely to be on removal of waste much earlier in circuits. Either way, mineral processing as we know it will change significantly. INTRODUCTION Mineral processing has a long history well covered in a recent publication (Habashi, 2006) who points out “the ancient Egyptians knew already that it would be easier to melt an earth rich in gold particles than another which is poor. As a result, all efforts were made to enrich the gold by washing away the light gangue minerals. Similarly, another ancient method for enriching gold particles from a river stream was by means of fleece, hence the Greek myth of the “golden fleece”. Since the middle ages, striving for improved economics has driven a string of innovative developments in milling and separation. The reader is again referred to the informative and illustrative text by Habashi."

Jan 1, 2018

By Frank J. Wiebelt

The Carbonate King zinc mine is on the west slope of Kokoweef Peak, Ivanpah Mountains, San Bernardino County, Calif. It has produced more-than 10,000 tons of ore with a 39-percent?zinc content since mining operations began in 1940. The ore, consisting principally of calamine and smithsonite, occurs in replacements of the YellowPine limestone. Milling, has been done from the surface to a depth of 275 feet. Eight holes, aggregating 2,121, feet were drilled by the Bureau of Mines in an endeavor to establish extensions of the worked-out ore bodies and to develop new ones. Although indication of mineralization was found in several of the holes, no new ore bodies were developed.

Jan 1, 1949

By Robert E. Wood

The compressibility factors, Z, of helium, nitrogen, and helium-nitrogen mixtures in the three-dimensional space of temperature, pressure, and gas composition have been related to the Leiden form of the virial equation of state. The dependency of virial coefficients through the fifth on temperature and gas composition has been established for the temperature range 133.15° to 748.15° K. Compressibility factors, Z, have been computed from the equation of state and tabulated as functions of gas composition, pressure, and temperature. Tabular values of Z are presented for 30.00 through 100.00 percent helium for temperatures from 240° through 700° R for pressures from 14.696 through 3,050 psia and for temperatures from 720° through 1,300° R for pressures from 14.696 through 1,500 psia. Tabular values of Z are presented at increments of 5.00 percent helium and 20° R, and, for pressures greater than 50 psia, at increments of 50 psi.

Jan 1, 1967

Dado que el Perú es un país que cuenta con una variedad de recursos hidro-eléctricos, es necesario realizar un estimado del valor de los mismos para mejorar las condiciones de su distribución en el país. Por tal motivo, el objetivo del texto es describir las ventajas de funcionamiento de este recurso y el desarrollo de los proyectos hidroeléctricos de la costa, sierra y selva alta. Se conoce que el recurso hidroeléctrico por sí solo no genera riqueza y necesita de la explotación del recurso natural que pueda ser vendido en el mercado. En este sentido, se produce dos beneficios. El primero, refiere que los productos resultantes del binomio energía- recurso industrializable, desarrollan mercados naciones como internacionales, originando una serie de divisas que permiten el desarrollo local en algunos aspectos. El segundo radica en que los proyectos hidroeléctricos de la Costa, permiten mejorar las obras de irrigación de los valles, producción agraria y la industrialización de los recursos minerales. Por tanto, para acceder al mercado internacional, es necesario que los proyectos de industrialización de los recursos, contemplen un planeamiento a partir del desarrollo de las mismas empresas. De forma que el desarrollo de los recursos naturales se realice en condiciones óptimas, satisfaciendo las necesidades básicas de la población.

Jul 20, 1959

By Robert Archer

IT is now well known that the structure of aluminum-silicon alloys can be refined in a rather remarkable manner, with consequent improvement of physical properties, by certain treatments applied to the molten metal shortly before casting. The differences between the treated and the untreated alloys are so marked that special terms are used to distinguish them, the untreated alloys being referred to as "normal" and the treated alloys as "modified." The first practical method of accomplishing this result was that of A. Pacz,1 which consists in treating the molten metal with a, salt flux of which the, active ingredient is sodium fluoride. The result can also be brought about, and in a more economical manner, by the addition of small quantities of metallic sodium (or potassium) to the molten alloy shortly before casting.2 The action of the Pacz flux evidently consists essentially in the production of free sodium by the reaction of sodium fluoride with aluminum. The changing of a normal alloy to a modified alloy is referred to as "modification' and any process for accomplishing this result is a "modifying" process. Modified aluminum-silicon alloys were introduced several years ago, and it has been demonstrated both in the laboratory and in commercial practice that it is no simple matter to produce castings having the maximum or nearly the maximum properties which under favorable circumstances can be obtained. The alloys are rather sensitive to small changes in chemical composition, and the modifying process must be carried out in a very particular manner to obtain the best results. Extensive experimental work has been carried out in the laboratories of the Aluminum Company of America with the object of determining the conditions that must be observed to make these alloys of the greatest possible

Jan 2, 1926

By J. S. Browning

Laboratory and pilot-plant tests of spodumene-beryl pegmatites of the Kings Mountain, N. C., area resulted in development of a new and improved method by the Bureau of Mines for separating and recovering spodumene, mica, and beryl. The process was successfully applied to other domestic pegmatites and a spodumene flotation-plant tailing containing about 0.5 percent beryl. The method comprised soap flotation of the spodumene, using combinations of sodium fluoride and lignin sulfonate as conditioning agents to recover 80 to 85 percent of the contained lithia in concentrates assaying over 6 percent Li20. About 80 percent or more of the beryl was retarded in the spodumene tailing. The beryl subsequently was activated, floated, and cleaned in a secondary circuit to yield beryl concentrates containing 6 to 7 percent BeO. The tests also demonstrated that a good recovery of high-grade mica could be produced.

Jan 1, 1961

By Altemar Dettogne do Nascimento

A Máquina de Lingotamento Contínuo nº 1 da ArcelorMittal Tubarão (AMT), com capacidade nominal de 1,8 milhões de toneladas/ano, teve seu start up em 1995. A máquina é curva com raio de 10,5 m. São produzidas placas de 200, 225 e 250 mm, largura de 800 a 1650 mm e velocidade até 1,7 m/min. Em Abril de 2012, a Máquina parou para uma reforma geral. A empresa Italiana Danieli Davy Distington foi contratada para fornecer a engenharia, fabricação e entrega dos equipamentos no período de 12 meses. No ano anterior à parada da máquina, foi realizado um site survey, o que possibilitou a elaboração de um planejamento detalhado de todas as atividades. A reforma da máquina teve como objetivos principais: correção do alinhamento da máquina, substituição de estruturas oxidadas, implantação de novas tecnologias e redução do tempo de exposição dos operadores a ambientes agressivos (alta temperatura, projeção de aço, queda de cascão da panela e material particulado) através da implantação da sala remota de controle dos veios. A máquina foi colocada em operação em 10 de agosto 2012 após ter completado, sem desvios, as fases de instalação e testes. Este trabalho mostra as fases de desenvolvimento deste projeto, os resultados das tecnologias implantadas e os testes de performance para diferentes famílias de aço.

Jul 29, 2018

By Robert G. Ditchburn

Msjflkcisokng During the past sixteen years, GNS Science has developed a number of radiometric methods for dating massive sulfide samples from submarine arc and back-arc volcanoes. This has improved our understanding of the formation of these hydrothermal systems, the frequency and duration of their activity, and assisted marine mineral exploration companies in assessing the economic potential of these deposits that can be rich in copper, zinc and gold (up to 90 ppm Au in some chimneys). The radiometric dating methods that we employ utilize radium isotopes that are extracted from the host rocks without their parent thorium isotopes, by ascending, hot, acidic hydrothermal fluids. When the hydrothermal fluid discharges into cold seawater, chemically similar barium and radium co-precipitate as barite, a common mineral contained within the black smoker chimneys that grow upwards from the seafloor. From the onset of mineralization, the isotopes 228Ra and 226Ra (with half-lives of 5.75 yrs and 1600 yrs, respectively) begin to decay, so that the 228Ra/226Ra and 226Ra/Ba values decrease with time. Thus, samples can be dated using these ratios once the initial values, i.e., the values at the onset of mineralization, have been established, ideally from active chimneys. 228Ra decays to 228Th (half-life 1.91 yrs) and from the 228Th/228Ra values, the growth-rate of individual chimneys can be estimated. The isotope 210Pb (half-life 22.3 yrs) is occasionally used for dating the mineralization, although several samples from a chimney are needed to determine an age from the 210Pb grown from 226Ra, using the isochron technique.

Sep 14, 2011

By M. T. Simnad, C. E. Birchenall, M. H. Davis

The transport mechanisms previously proposed in wustite and hematite have been confirmed by movement of inert markers during the growth of these phases. By similar measurements the mechanism for magnetite has been determined. The rates of growth of multilayer scales on iron, magnetite and hematite on wustite, and hematite on magnetite have been measured. All rates are found to be diffusion controlled under the conditions of the experiments. MANY studies have been made of the rate of oxidation of iron in both the low temperature, film-forming region and the high temperature scaling range. The interpretation of the results has been greatly complicated by the formation of multi-layered scales containing the various phases of iron oxides. In most cases no attempt has been made to determine the composition of the scale and its dependence on time of oxidation in a quantitative manner. However, several recent studies'" have taken this variable into account. It is generally agreed that the growth of thick scales on iron follows a parabolic rate law for the increase of total thickness. In the thin film region agreement has been claimed with parabolic equations of various forms and with logarithmic equations. The discussion here will be concerned only with the formation of scales of considerable thickness, greater than several microns, although some of the conclusions may be applicable to thin films. A brief survey will be given of the solid phases of the iron-oxygen system, the stability of wiistite in bulk and in thin films, the relative densities of iron in the metal and oxides, and the kinetics of forma- tion of oxide scales on iron. New experimental results will be introduced at several points during the discussion, and an attempt will be made to formulate a mechanistic picture consistent with these observations. The experimental techniques are described in an appendix. Iron-Oxygen System Fig. la shows the iron-oxygen phase diagram. Wüstite ("FeO"): The lowest of the oxides has a NaCl type cubic lattice formed by close-packing of the relatively large oxide ions with the smaller iron ions arranged in the interstices. The ionic radius for 0' is about 1.3 A, while Fe++ has a radius of about 0.8A and Fe"' about 0.7A. Its range of existence on the phase diagram is very wide for an ionic material of this type and does not seem to include the stoi-chiometric composition FeO. These deviations appear to be well established as vacancies on iron lattice sites by the comparison of lattice parameters and densities for a series of compositions by Jette and Foote.4 The limits of the field are disputed, but the work which seems most reliable" indicates vacancies in from 5 pct to more than 12 pct of the iron sites. In order for the crystal to be electrically neutral, there must be electron holes which correspond to the formation of trivalent iron ions equal to twice the number of vacancies. Magnetite ("Fe³O4"): Considerable disagreement also exists in the literature about the stable range of the Fe³O4 field. Some diagrams show the Fe³O4 composition to be lower in oxygen than the formula indicates, but Schenck6 gives a diagram from the

Jan 1, 1952

By Z. Scopa, E. Tarshizi, R. Setterlind, L. Frost, R. Livernois

"THE MINES OF THE FUTURE The mines of the future present a host of challenges, which may appear exciting or daunting depending on one’s perspective. Whether some sectors of the public recognize it or not, the demand for raw resources is not going away any time soon. In fact, it is rising as global population grows, urbanizes and attempts to steadily increase quality of life. Yes, at the same time that much of the highly developed world is calling for greener goods, reduced consumption, and cleaner production, in other areas there are cries for clean water and sanitation, consistent energy supply, access to health care and education, personal security, and support for basic human rights. The balancing act for sustainable development of our global society is indeed precarious, and the mining community is necessarily a key player. Fortunately, many industry members have accepted this role and the responsibility to provide leadership and a solid foundation for progress. Looking ahead, we need new generations of leaders, many of whom will be mine engineers, which are ready to tackle all sorts of complex problems. There are tremendous needs just for technological innovations. Increasingly tough deposits will require that we continue to expand scale toward “super” pits and “deep” underground mining fully develop unconventional recovery techniques like in-situ leaching and gasification or deep-sea extraction, and seriously consider off-earth endeavors. Such work will take entirely autonomous equipment; novel separations, processing and recycling methods; and systems that can withstand extreme physical conditions – just to name a few. It will also take a level of systems integration never-before seen in our field, complete with big data issues, sophisticated analytics and modeling efforts, and cyber-security challenges. Moreover, increasingly complex environmental problems will require creative solutions. Addressing issues like pollution control across multiple media, emerging contaminants, optimal management of wastes, selective mining, and shared use of resources between mine operations and surrounding communities and ecosystems are among top priorities. Really, a complete paradigm shift must occur, such that our focus is on overall improvement of environmental conditions, rather than minimization of impacts. A similar shift will be required in the social realm. How can we make miners safer and healthier on-site and off? How can we contribute to communities such that they are better off, now and long-term, for having a mine next door? How can we help transform artisanal mining practices to also contribute to sustainable development? How can our work be a factor in increasing economic and political stability? How can we improve the public understanding of raw resources and the need for mining enterprises?"

Jan 1, 2017

By Harry R. Oldale

This paper first covers the general and economic geology of the Coxheath Hills area, and then outlines the exploration and mining development that has been carried out since the first discovery of copper in the area in 1875. The work of Mariner Mines Limited from 1963 to the present time is detailed, particular attention being paid to the recent discoveries of copper, silver and lead mineralization that have greatly enhanced the potential of the area.

Jan 1, 1967

By R Knight

The spatial variability of geometallurgical characteristics in a mineral deposit can have significant impact on financial and mine planning, mineral processing, concentrate quality and tailings composition throughout the life of a project. These characteristics that may determine the success of a project are not readily apparent to geologists unless they are integrated with deposit geology and assay data, modelled in 3D and incorporated into resource block models.One of the primary objectives of geometallurgy is to integrate and incorporate various geologic, geotechnical and geometallurgical parameters into resource block models, which typically are limited to in situ tonnes and grade of economic metals. Critical attributes, such as concentration of deleterious elements that affect the project viability need to be identified and integrated into the resource block model early in the exploration stage to predict project profitability and address potential environmental impacts.Using data from a volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit we present an example of the integration of ore geochemistry (cadmium, arsenic and antimony) with the results of preliminary, bench-scale metallurgical test work in a 3D geometallurgical model that predicts subdomains of poor-quality concentrate and tailings containing environmentally-sensitive elements. This critical information was incorporated into the existing resource block model in order to inform both financial modelling and mine planning.This example demonstrates that geometallurgical data can be effectively integrated with geological and assay data using Leapfrog MiningTM software (Leapfrog Mining) early in the exploration stage of a project. Three-dimensional representations of geometallurgical data can be created directly using primary additive data, as well as from proxies of non-additive parameters. Resource block models can be updated continually with new information as the project passes from exploration through production. In addition, the software allows for 3D visualisation of the characteristics of the materials that will eventually constitute the mill concentrate, tailings, and waste. This study emphasises the critical importance of establishing a systematic geometallurgical approach early in the exploration stage that can be continuously updated with new information throughout the life of the project. In the example that we present, sulfide ore that had otherwise been identified as high-value (in the absence of geochemical and metallurgical data) turns out to be low-value ore due to concentrate penalties and increased environmental impact.

Sep 5, 2011

By G. Archer

ASARCO, a large and diverse producer of nonferrous metals, is involved primarily in the smelting and refining of lead and copper. Lead-antimony alloys, antimony trioxide, bismuth, cadmium oxide, selenium, tellurium, silver and gold are among products which result from processing by-products of smelting and refining. The complex mixture of concentrates at some smelters and the high impurity loads at some refineries result in various drosses, sludges, dusts and slags. In this paper, the complex interplant and intraplant transfer of by-products is addressed. These by-products result in an exchange of metals between the lead circuit and the copper circuit. Examples of the transfer of by-products and the prospects for the recycle of valuable products from wastes generated by customers and unrelated processors are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By Laurent Dorel

Surface quality monitoring is primarily implemented in the last steps of steel manufacturing before shipment to the end user. However, an increasing trend for also addressing this topic in the upstream stages, such as hot rolling plant, is tackled by Primetals Technologies to give steel producers the key to a global optimized yield management, and efficient “lessons learned” processes. After the last developments of SIAS Next Gen platform, including High Resolution and Near Infra-Red, some site results will be exposed on the very specific high constraints lines such as ESP Endless Strip Production and Plate Mills, and highlights the related most interesting aspects for our customers.

Aug 17, 2017

By Z. Yu

Dewatering of a -0.5 mm fine coal has been studied extensively. Deep cleaning requires however fine grinding, and dewatering of such ultrafine products presents a great challenge. Several coal samples finely ground and characterized by different wettabilities have b.een used in the filtration tests. Vacuum and press filters have been employed. In this paper only the results obtained with different flocculants (totally hydrophobic. semi-hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymers) are included. The results reveal the effect of coal surface properties and flocculant type on filtration of ultrafine coal.

Jan 1, 1994

By C. Patrick

Longwall face-to-face transfers can cost over $100 per minute in lost production potential and $100,000 for personnel and supplies. Such high cost makes extensive planning and control of the transfer process a critical necessity for the economic feasibility of longwall operations. This paper reports operations research techniques used for the analysis and modeling of longwall face-to-face transfers. Transfer data has been collected from companies who operate over 30% of the total U.S. longwall faces. Comprehensive sequence networks of existing longwall transfers were developed; simulation models of transfers under varying conditions were generated; and, the economics of general transfers and time-cost tradeoffs in the transfer procedure were investigated.

Jan 1, 1993

By Pedro Máximo Ángeles

El presente texto señala el proceso «Strategic-Udy Modificado Angeles» utilizado para la producción de fierro o semiacero en Chimbote, Ancash. En ese sentido, durante la producción de aceros, es opcional el uso de fierros secundarios en la fundición (Scrap). La gran flexibilidad que ofrece el proceso permite producir tan bajo tonelaje sin sacrificar el costo de producción por tonelada de metal. Asimismo, las reparaciones pueden hacerse con gran facilidad, quitando la alimentación, drenando el horno eléctrico y cortando la corriente. Se puede operar el tonelaje deseado en una planta ya instalada con un pequeño descenso en la eficiencia. Por ello, es el método más adecuado en los lugares donde no se dispone de coke, tal es el caso de Chimbote - Perú y en donde se dispone de energía eléctrica barata, y de carbones que requieren procesos caros para su coquificación.

Nov 1, 1963

By John D. Godfrey

Precambrian Shield rocks, exposed in the extreme northeast corner of Alberta, provide the only possibility for a granitic building stone development in the province. Among a wide variety of granitoid rocks in the Shield, the Chipewyan Red Granite is one of the most favourable prospects. Geological mapping and exploration has revealed two prospective sites within a major pluton situated close to navigable water. Cleaned outcrop surfaces show clearly the pattern of joints and lithologic variations within the granite at prospective quarry sites. Other features include: basic dykes, quartz veins, and sheeting fracture zanes. Systematic orthogonally arranged fracture sets and the sheeting zanes are auributed to a tectonic origin. onsystematic irregular fractures are related to surface and nearsurface processes, such as decompression through unloading .

Jan 1, 1984

By Luis Briceño Arata

El presente trabajo señala las principales funciones de la empresa minera estatal respecto a los campos de promoción tecnológica, producción y elaboración de los minerales hasta sus más altos grados de calidad, convirtiéndose en la principal fuente de ingresos en divisas y fondos para el Estado. Esta competencia necesita complementarse con el capital privado nacional, sea asociado con el Estado o de forma independiente, ajustándose a los fines del desarrollo nacional a través de un sistema organizado de refinerías y plantas de concentración. En este sentido, el Estado debe considerar un programa de proyectos mineral a través del apoyo del capital privado nacional o de un inversionista extranjero.

Nov 20, 1978