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By Manjie Li, Mingrui Yang, Haijun Peng, Shuxing Qiu, Wei Liu, Shengfu Zhang

It is important to produce and utilize highly reactive coke in order to reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions through improving shaft efficiency in blast furnace. The present study aimed to investigate the transformation of iron minerals and properties of iron coke (the coke mixed iron ore fines). Along with the increase of iron ore fines, cold strength displayed a slight downtrend and the pore structure wasn’t inferred to be a major factor affected the properties of iron coke. During carbonization, the majority of mixed iron oxides were reduced to metallic iron by CO and H2 and the degree of metallization achieved to approximately 75%. Nevertheless, produced metallic iron was oxidized by pure CO2 during gasification. Iron coke reactivity index (ICRI) was obviously enhanced and the iron coke strength after reaction (ICSR) drastically decreases, which were also significantly influenced by crystal structure of carbon.

Jan 1, 2015

By D. R. Willmer, E. J. Haas

As national and international health and safety management system (HSMS) standards are voluntarily accepted or regulated into practice, organizations are making an effort to modify and integrate strategic elements of a connected management system into their daily risk management practices. In high-risk industries such as mining, that effort takes on added importance. The mining industry has long recognized the importance of a more integrated approach to recognizing and responding to sitespecific risks, encouraging the adoption of a risk-based management framework. Recently, the U.S. National Mining Association led the development of an industry-specific HSMS built on the strategic frameworks of ANSI: Z10, OHSAS 18001, The American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care, and ILO-OSH 2001. All of these standards provide strategic guidance and focus on how to incorporate a plan-do-check-act cycle into the identification, management and evaluation of worksite risks. This paper details an exploratory study into whether practices associated with executing a risk-based management framework are visible through the actions of an organization’s site-level management of health and safety risks. The results of this study show ways that site-level leaders manage day-to-day risk at their operations that can be characterized according to practices associated with a risk-based management framework. Having tangible operational examples of day-to-day risk management can serve as a starting point for evaluating field-level risk assessment efforts and their alignment to overall company efforts at effective risk mitigation through a HSMS or other processes.

Jan 1, 2016

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

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

Jan 1, 1991

By J. J. Shields

This is the Seventh of a series of publications that describe methods and practices used in mining bituminous coal mechanically.3/ This report deals with the operation referred to in coal mining as continuous mining, and the interest shown by mining companies in this method is the reason for this study. Only continuous mining as it applies to the room-and-pillar system of mining, or a modification thereon, is discussed in detail in this report. Although not always as continuous as the name implies, it is a system of mining in which a machine is used to cut and load coal in one continuous operation without drilling and blasting the coal. With the mining equipment in most general use today, the usual cycle of operation in mining of coal is: (1) Timber, (2) cut, (3) drill, (4) blast, and (5) load. As the phases of this type cycle cannot be performed simultaneously in the same working place, it is necessary to operate from 3 to 7 working places so that at least 1 place is available for coal loading at all times. Even if the schedule of the phases in a cycle is maintained, coal production ceases during the time required to move the loading equipment from one loading place to the next. In 1920 a continuous-type mining machine4/ was installed in an Illinois coal mine to drive entries. Several other companies used these entry drivers for short periods in the following few years. In 1927 a southern Illinois coal company installed 2 of these machines which, in the next 25 years, were reported to have driven over 200 miles of entries. The machines did not attain widespread usage.

Jan 1, 1954

By George F. Bassett

"More will be expected from the mine or metallurgical plant electrical system in the late 70's and 80's in terms of energy conservation, reliability and fire prevention. Increased electrical loads 1•equired by larger arc furnaces, higher-horsepower motors for mine hoists and pollution control fans, and greater use of electrical heating will have to be supplied. Computers and sophisticated instruments will be used more extensively and have less tolerance for electrical fluctuations. More extensive control and monitoring systems will be required to increase production and minimize operating and maintenance costs. Changing energy costs will prompt design engineers to investigate in-plant generation, particularly where sites are remote from existing utilities lines or steam from turbines may be used in the process. Some utilities are requiring industries to increase their power factor to above 90% ; others are requiring stricter control of voltage flicker from arc furnaces and harmonics from rectifiers. There is a trend to AC with solid-state cont1•ols instead of DC for large cranes."

Jan 1, 1976

By N. Tiner

THE mechanical properties of magnesium-alloy castings are greatly improved by grain refinement, and at present considerable attention is being paid to methods of obtaining fine-grained castings. One method of achieving this end is the use of proper melting and superheating techniques. These have been employed commercially to a great extent, but no comprehensive study of the subject appears to have been published at present. Numerous investigations found in the literature include some reference to superheating techniques, 1-4 and Achenbach, Nipper and Piwowarsky,5 based principally on thermal analysis, ascribe the grain-refining action of superheating to the influence of solid foreign particles or dissolved gases present in the melt upon the course of crystallization. The primary purpose of this paper is to present the principal facts concerning the effect of superheating on grain size of magnesium alloys. Attempts are also made to explain the experimental results in terms of a general hypothesis. The investigations are limited chiefly to common commercial casting alloys. In order to carry on this work, it was necessary to determine the factors influencing grain size and to develop a proper technique for the preparation of samples. The preliminary tests made by the author indicated that the grain size of magnesium alloys resulting from the solidification of a melt is determined by alloy composition, presence of impurities, rate of cooling during solidification, thermal history of the melt and to some extent the structure of the charge used. The rate of cooling is in turn dependent upon the mass of the melt, pouring temperature, and dimensions, properties and temperature of the mold into which the melt is poured. The final grain size of the alloys is still further modified by heat-treatment subsequent to casting. It is not within the scope of the present paper to discuss all of these factors, and it would suffice to note here that when equal amounts of magnesium alloys are prepared from the same alloying materials, melted in graphite crucibles under the same thermal conditions, then cast into graphite molds at a constant temperature, the .resultant solids have the same grain size. By maintaining all other factors constant, it is thus possible to vary thermal conditions of a melt and to examine the grain size of resultant castings. PREPARATION OF SAMPLES AND GRAIN-SIZE TESTING The alloys investigated in this paper were taken from ingots made by Permanente Metals Corporation or prepared by the author with pure carbothermic magnesium and necessary alloying elements. Melting was carried out under a flux in a graphite crucible heated uniformly by an

Jan 1, 1945

By Rogers F. Davis

This publication has been prepared to supply manufacturers and industrial users a listing of mobile diesel-powered transportation equipment approved or certified by the Bureau of Mines f r use in gassy noncoal mines and tunnels. Testing of diesel-powered equipment is one phase of the Bureau's health and safety program of approval of electrical and diesel equipment designed to prevent explosions, fires, shocks, and toxic hazards in underground mines. In mines such equipment must be used and maintained properly. Manufacturers submit machinery and component parts to the Bureau for study f their design and safety features. Equipment must pass exacting tests and meet strict requirements established through research, development, and experience before the Bureau approves it as permissible for safe use in mines.

Jan 1, 1967

By Ariel Orellana Wiarco

Para diseñar un sistema de ventilación de una mina subterránea se debe determinar la cantidad total de aire necesario y la caída total de presión. Con estos datos se planean las obras y se selecciona el equipo de ventilación adecuado Así, el objetivo de este diseño de sistema de ventilación es proporcionar condiciones ambientales subterráneas seguras, sanas y saludables. En este sentido, el presente texto refiere la forma en que la fricción, densidad, humedad, temperatura, determinación de requerimientos de aire, dimensiones, contaminantes de escapes de motores diesel, ventilación natural, envases y difusores entre otros factores afectan el diseño de sistemas de ventilación para minas subterráneas.

Mar 1, 1983

By A. Bouajila1

Minerals processing organisations will be more and more under intense competitive pressure. Major changes are being experienced with intense respect to resources, processes, production strategies and markets. As result of international competition, only the most productive and cost-effective operations will survive. That is why operators in the minerals industry have always aimed to obtain better performance from their processes along the mineral extraction cycle starting from exploration up to the smelting step if any. A principal ingredient and perhaps the most important one in the process of evolution toward improved productivity is the achievement and implementation of an error-free production synonym of an ignorance-free operation. This is, at the same time, a guarantee for quality, a minimising factor for waste materials production, handling and disposal, and a maximising factor for labour utilisation. The notion of ?error or ignorance-free? -usually identified as a ?made in Japan? manufacturing mythology, will sound, at first impression, like a pious ideal, to be striven for but impossible to attain. Nevertheless, the introduction of measurement and detection technology in the minerals industry along the last century should benefit from the today?s sensors and control systems that explosively expanded beyond their traditional production base into far-ranging commercial ventures. The fastness and spread of those technologies will play an important role in the survival of innovative plants. Their role in information assimilation, and control of operations to maintain an error-free production environment, will help many plants to stay effective on their competitive course. In this paper the feasibility of the zero process ignorance concept as applied to the comminution circuits will be discussed and the challenge behind this ambitious move toward improved productivity will be outlined. Examples of pre-competitive R&D projects started at COREM in order to fulfil this prerogative will be presented.

May 1, 2001

By J. E. Chilton

Underground miners may be exposed to hazardous quantities of toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide (CO), generated from mine fires or explosions. Every underground miner is required to carry a filter self-rescuer (FSR), which when operated will remove CO from the miner's breathing air. In addition, every underground miner must have a self-contained self-rescuer (SCSR) near the worksite that will supply breathing oxygen. In many situations, miners do not know when to don either rescuer since they do not know if there is a fire in the mine, nor do they carry instrumentation necessary for the detection of the toxic, colorless, and odorless fire product CO. If each miner carried a personal CO alarm, which would respond to high concentrations of CO, the miner would then be alerted when to don either the FSR or SCSR and exit the mine. A prototype personal miner's CO alarm called PEMCOAL was developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines. The PEMCOAL unit is small enough to be carried on a miner's belt, has a flash lamp visual alarm, requires no calibration for use, and uses a chemical sensor that changes color by reaction with trace quantities of CO. The chemical sensor was tested at concentrations of CO from 10 to 1,000 ppm, at temperatures from 5° to 40° C, and with several potential mine gas interferents. The PEMCOAL alarm times were sufficiently fast to warn miners before they are exposed to hazardous quantities of CO.

Jan 1, 1989

By T. Mason, R. Macko

Electroless nickel (EN) coatings are widely used in the manufacture of automotive parts, providing uniform coating, corrosion protection, wear resistance and lubrication. In contrast to EN plating benefits, the disposal and treatment of waste solutions can cause many difficulties. The use of electrochemical treatment technology greatly improves _the operation of the main wastewater treatment process and reduces operation costs. A new, state-of-the-art job shop in the Chicago area, which provides EN plating for the automotive industry, has installed a large separated electrolytic cell for the treatment of spent EN solution (from dumps and wastewater). The waste/wastewater is handled by the separated electrolytic cell, batch treatment system, filter press and neutralization station. The implementation of modem electrolytic technology and auxilliary equipment provides an effective waste treatment process that meets environmental compliance criteria.

Jan 1, 2000

By C. A. Morais

The present work describes the development of an efficient and relatively simple process to obtain high grade CeO2 from a mixed rare earth chloride solution. The process involves cerium oxidation and precipitation by addition of a KMnO4-NaCO3 solution. The experiments were carried out at room temperature (25 1° C). The results indicated that the major parameters affecting cerium recovery are the molar ratio of KMnO4/Ce, the initial acidity of the chloride feed solution and final pH of Ce(OH)4 precipitation. In strong acid solutions (pH < 1), the oxidation of Cl to Clo took place in addition to the oxidation of Ce(III) to Ce(IV), so increasing the permanganate consumption. Conversely, low acidity (pH >3) led to coprecipitation of the other rare earth elements. Under the selected conditions, cerium was selectively precipitated as ceric hydroxide, together with some manganese dioxide. Further purification was carried out by the dissolution of Ce(OH)4 in HCl, followed by precipitation as cerium carbonate. The filtrate was neutralised with a Na2CO3 solution in order to recover the associated rare earth elements for further separation. The final product, assaying 99.7 % CeO2, was obtained with a recovery of nearly 100%.

Jan 1, 2003

By P. Hansman

"Place Dome Canada&apos;s Detour Lake Mine is a low-grade gold producer located in northeastern Ontario. Production is targeted for 2850 tonnes of ore per day. As reserves and mining areas continued to be found below and far to the west of the shaft (Fig. 1), it became necessary to review and upgrade the materials handling facilities. This paper deals with the selection, design and construction of an underground crusher and conveyor system capable of handling up to 450 tonnes per hour from the lowest existing level in the mine.BackgroundThe Detour Lake mine site is accessed via secondary Highway 652 which runs northeast out of Cochrane, Ontario. The road consists of 200 Ian of hard top followed by 100 Ian of well maintained gravel to the mine site. A 1500 m airstrip is maintained at the mine site for emergency use. Prior to 1991, the workforce was flown to and from the mine site. Crews were now bused to the site from Timmins. Remnants of a winter road exist to the southeast which at one time ended in La Sarre, Quebec. This was the route used to haul bulk items during the construction period and early production years.A town site has not been established at the site for the current operations. Instead, a rotational scheme is being utilized whereby most personnel will work seven days on site followed by seven days off site. For some employees, however, the work week is termed as a four/three schedule where they work 42 hours between Monday at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday at 4:00 p.m. with the following three days off. All surface employees and maintenance employees underground work 12-hour shifts. All underground employees work a lOV2-hour shift. Supervisors work a similar schedule as their crews, however, other staff may overlap their rotation during the week.A five-compartment shaft was sunk in 1984 from surface to the 610 m elevation. Shaft stations were established at the 120 m, 260 m, 360 m, 460 m, and 560 m levels. The cage compartment consists of a single deck, 4O-man cage in balance with a counterweight. The cage hoist is an Ingersoll-Rand 10H and is regulated to travel at 4.1 m/s. Two 9 t skips operate in balance at a travel speed of 7.1 mls. The skip hoist is a 3.05 m drum Nordberg. Both hoists are automated to function without a hoistman during normal skipping and cage service runs."

Jan 1, 1995

By Charles White Merrill

Silver consumption in the arts and industries of the United States during 1930 and 1931 has remained remarkably near the high level established in 1929. Undoubtedly the sharp drop in the price of silver has been an important factor in supporting consumption, but silver&apos;s peculiar properties and uses probably have been an even more compelling reason for its sustained utilization. In its most important use - sterling silverware - it seemingly has most serious competition, but well established tradition protects the demand for sterling ware and the law forbids the term "sterling" to be applied to any material not containing at least 92.5 per cent silver. The photographic industry is dependent upon properties of certain silver salts possessed by no other material. Consequently silver is indispensable to all photography, including the huge motion picture industry. Other uses for silver could be listed which, because of special features, likewise have tended to maintain the consumption of silver in the arts and industries of the United States. The figures which this report makes available for the first time are the detailed silver consumption figures for the arts and industries of the United States for 1930 and 1931. These figures have been tabulated with the previously published(3) figures for 1928 and 1929 thus presenting a 4-year statistical record of silver consumption. All quantities are given in troy ounces, 1,000 fine.

Jan 1, 1932

By Azin Zangooi, Cesar Gomez, James Finch

Frother concentration is a variable which significantly affects the flotation performance by decreasing bubble size and helping froth stabilization. Variations in frother concentration, which mostly go unnoticed in industrial operations, may affect these functions. Some factors that can cause variations include the fact that frothers are normally dosed based on feed tonnage and not solution concentration, unstable frother delivery, incomplete dissolution for low solubility frothers, addition of frother-free wash water, remnant frother in recycle waters and frother partitioning to the froth. A colorimetric technique developed for determining frother concentration on site makes it possible to detect the occurrence of these problems and to establish their magnitude, allowing conditions to be adjusted to reduce frother concentration variations. By sampling and analysis, frother distribution throughout a circuit can be established, referred to as ‘frother distribution mapping’. Experiences at several concentrators processing sulphide ores are used to illustrate time restrictions for sample analysis, and to demonstrate temporal and spatial frother concentration changes as a consequence of variations in the grinding stage, recycled waters containing frother, and frother partitioning.

Jan 1, 2014

By Nomuqhele N. Nkosi, Yasuo Yabe, Musa D. Manzi, Raymond J. Durrheim, Siyanda B. Mngadi

This study examined rock failure in brittle rocks hosting the deep gold-bearing ore bodies on scales between millimeters and kilometres. This research study is part of the International Continental scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) project, “Drilling into Seismogenic Zones of M2.0-M5.5 earthquakes in deep South African gold mines” (DSeis). The broader ICDP-DSeis project aims include the examination of the extent of damage, the stress state around the fringes of the earthquake, and the potential existence of living organisms associated with deep-level earthquakes. Nevertheless, this study focused on two seismogenic zones – the Cooke 4 mine and Moab Khotsong mine. At Cooke 4 mine, the study examined the evolution of mining-induced fractures (M1-4) occurring ahead of the stope face during the extraction of the remnant shaft pillar. These fractures were monitored and delineated by a dense array of acoustic emission sensors that allowed hypocentres to be located with decimeter accuracy. Using this acoustic emission data, the DSeis team drilled and recovered the fractures, rock breccia and gouge using a sophisticated triple-tube drilling rig.

Apr 26, 2022

By David Dreisinger

"The leaching of base and precious metal ores and concentrates continues to progress in both laboratory study and industrial application. These developments are being driven by the need to respond to difficult ores and concentrates that are not amenable to conventional treatment. In many cases alternatives are being developed to conventional treatment (e.g. Pyrometallurgy) for technical and economic reasons.In this paper, a brief general review of some new developments in leaching will be followed by a more detailed explanation of three process developments that have either been industrially applied or are expected to be applied in a short time frame. The three processes to be reviewed in detail are the Mt. Gordon Copper Process, the Anglo American Corporation/University of British Columbia Copper Process and the PLATSOL Process. These leaching processes operate at low (90°C), medium (150°C) and high (220°C) temperature and are successful in quickly and completely extracting metal values from ores and concentrates."

Jan 1, 2003

By David Dreisinger

"The leaching of base and precious metal ores and concentrates continues to progress in both laboratory study and industrial application. These developments are being driven by the need to respond to difficult ores and concentrates that are not amenable to conventional treatment. In many cases alternatives are being developed to conventional treatment (e.g. Pyrometallurgy) for technical and economic reasons.In this paper, a brief general review of some new developments in leaching will be followed by a more detailed explanation of three process developments that have either been industrially applied or are expected to be applied in a short time frame. The three processes to be reviewed in detail are the Mt. Gordon Copper Process, the Anglo American Corporation/University of British Columbia Copper Process and the PLATSOL Process. These leaching processes operate at low (90°C), medium (150°C) and high (220°C) temperature and are successful in quickly and completely extracting metal values from ores and concentrates.INTRODUCTIONThe process of leaching is widely used in hydrometallurgy to selectively recover a metal of interest from an ore or a concentrate. Leaching and by extension hydrometallurgy is well established in the recovery of copper (copper heap leach ? SX-EW), nickel (Moa Bay and Caron process), zinc (roast ? leach ? electrowin and zinc pressure leach), gold (cyanidation) and uranium (acid sulfate leach). Of course this success extends to many of the metals found in nature. Recently, the importance of hydrometallurgy appears to be increasing with hydrometallurgy viewed as an attractive alternative to both traditional mineral processing and conventional smelting/converting/refining. This increasing interest has led to intensive study and increasing application. Selected developments include:Copper ? the Mt. Gordon process and new concentrate processes such as INTEC, Activox, CESL, Dynatec, Total Pressure Oxidation, MIM Albion, BioCop, and the AAC/UBC Process.Nickel ? Voisey Bay process for hydrometallurgical treatment of Voisey Bay concentrate, HPAL processing of laterites at Murrin Murrin, Bulong and Cawse, atmospheric leaching of laterites, heap bioleaching of nickel sulfides by Titan Resources (Australia).Zinc ? establishment of zinc leach, solvent extraction and electrowinning technology for treatment of the Skorpion deposit in Namibia, new developments in atmospheric and pressure leaching, the Hydrozinc process.Gold ? development of a number of thiosulfate leaching processes for recovery of gold from refractory carbonaceous ores or concentrates."

Jan 1, 2003

By S. P. Narayan

The hot deformation behavior of Pure Mg and Mg-0.29Ce alloy were studied by isothermal hot compression tests in the temperature range of 250 - 500°C and strain rate range of 10-3 - 102 s-1 in a computer-controlled 50kN servo hydraulic universal testing machine (UTM). The results show that the flow stress of Mg pure and Mg-0.29Ce alloy increases with strain rate and decreases after a peak value, indicating dynamic recovery and recrystallization. Process efficiency was increased by nearly 10 to 12% by addition of Ce in Mg. Mg pure exhibits instability zones between 250-275°C at 10 ? 102 s-1 and 400¬500°C at 101 ? 102 s-1 temperatures and strain rates respectively, rest is the safe deformation zone. Wherein, Mg-0.29 Ce exhibits two low efficiency zones from 250 ? 300°C at 10-2? 10° s-1, 400 ? 500°C at 101 ? 102s-1 and high efficiency zone at 450 ? 500°C at 10-3? 10-1s-1. 4D process maps were generated for the above said alloys which illustrate contours of power dissipation and instability in the 3D space of strain rate, temperature and strain.

Jan 1, 2011

By Alexander Sutulov

It is calculated that since the beginning of last century, which practically coincides with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, our civilization has consumed around 239.5 million tons of copper (see: Table 1). According to the most pessimistic projections of today, with only a 2.5% annual growth rate in demand, we are bound until the end of this century to consume another 200 million tons of copper in remaining 17 years. A recent study made by US Bureau of Mines (1) indicates that the proven ore reserves of 150 major operating mines and about 120 deposits sufficiently explored for development and feasibility studies accumulate a total mass of 49.3 billion tons of ore, assaying an average of 0.82% Cu and containing around 324 million tons of recoverable copper. Consequently, there is a high grade of probability that the bulk of our future ore supplies, for our demand of, say, next 25 years will cane precisely from these mines. The interesting point in USBM study is that it indicates the recoverable byproduct content of these ores and which is: 118.2 million troy ounces of gold 2277.4 million troy ounces of silver 7.1 million tons of lead 24.7 million tons of zinc 1.3 million tons of nickel 3.1 million tons of molybdenum 765 thousand tons of cobalt, and 720 thousand troy ounces of platinum. This information gives us a relatively reliable profile of our future ores for next 25 years, and thus makes possible evaluation of byproduct credits in our future copper mining and producing activities.

Jan 1, 1983