Search Documents

By Robert L. Morris

A new concept of roof support by "sonic pin-setting" is introduced. Initial experiments indicate that this method could introduce tremendous benefits for the coal mining industry by making roof-bolting a faster, safer, and more economical operation. A theoretical model is presented for describing the process and an experimental machine was built. The present testing results are included.

Jan 1, 1977

By Charles R. Harrison

The purpose of this study and resulting development of the training program, "Safety--Let's Make It Happen" was to determine the relation of concepts to the development of desired Health and Safety behavior. After extensive pre-contract study, it was hypothesized that improved acceptance and understanding of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 could possibly contribute to the reduction of accidents. Second, in order for an individual to accept and understand the Act, he or she must have a working knowledge of its purposes and application. Third, acceptance and understanding of the Act, necessary to protect the individual from negligence, was imperative. Fourth, an actual operating company could provide the base in which to test these hypotheses in a meaningful manner and develop this type of training program. Six assumptions were agreed upon before embarking on this study and training program development. (1) In the cognitive process, a concept introduction into an individual's personality may result in a behavior quite different than if he or she had been exposed to a different concept.

Jan 1, 1977

By P. deH. Eastcott

The paper summarizes a slide presentation made during the CIM Mechanical-Electrical Operators' Conference, held at Sudbury. Ontario, January 25-27, 1977. Its scope has been limited to a few specific aspects of modern Canadian hoisting plant practice that are likely to be of interest to operating personnel. It is intended to serve as a brief review of established methods discuss in more detail the present state-of-the-art and suggest trends that will appear as products during the next few years.

Jan 1, 1977

By A. S. Gendron

A brief description of Inco's ORC copper refinery tankhouse and the electrowinning tankhouse is followed by a comparison of the requirements for the production of the high-quality copper in both systems. The description will focus on both tankhouses, with emphasis on experience to date in the electrowinning tankhouse. Particular attention will be paid to sensitivities of each tankhouse to process upsets which can. significantly afject the quality of the product cathodes.

Jan 1, 1977

By R. H. Nafziger

A novel process has been developed for preparing directly workable steel ingots from prereduced iron ore pellets by a two-stage process. The pellets are continuously charged into an electric arc furnace, where molten metal is separated from the gangue. The molten metal flows out of this furnace through a hollow nonconsumable graphite electrode immersed in a molten flux in an electroslag furnace. The molten metal solidifies on a continuously withdrawing base plate to form the ingot. A variety of standard carbon and alloy steel ingots . free of porosity , were produced using suitable decarburizers and ferroalloy additions. Some advantages of the two-stage process include: (a) consumable electrode fabrication is eliminated; (b ) no expensive deoxidizers are required; (c ) the uncontaminated electros lap flux can be reused; (d) energy consumption averages 25% less than in a conventional electric arc - electroslag operation ; and (e) the operation is continuous.

Jan 1, 1977

By A. D. Hunt

THIS PAPER will review Canada's fossil fuel situation as we understand it today and indicate some of the options available to meet our energy requirements during the next 15 years. It would therefore be helpful to examine Canada's total energy requirements and discuss the un certainties of the data base on which we must base future energy investment decisions. On the world scene, Canada is at the top of the energy-consuming nations, using about 49 bbls of oil equivalent per caput/ year. This appears to be slightly ahead of the U.S. and of course much higher than that of many countries. It is generally accepted that there is a more or less direct relationship between energy consumption and material standard of living. However , as we know, Canada, when compared with other industrialized countries on a GNP, an individual-income or some other standard basis, is lower in the list. This situation may be explained by our more severe climate and a relatively small population distributed over a land mass second only to that of the Soviet Union.

Jan 1, 1977

By Russell J. Gartrell

This report describes the engineering feasibility and economic advantages of using a steep angle conveyance (SAC) system in conjunction with medium and large draglines to transport spoil in a typical Western Coal Mine. The SAC system, including a receiving hopper, a steep angle conveyor and a sticker/spreader, is capable of processing overburden material at the rate of 7,000 tons/hr. The unique feature of this system is the steep angle conveyor which transports the overburden material from the pit bottom to the top of the spoil at angles to 45 degrees. Compared to other means of cross-pit conveyance considered during this study, the SAC system offers the advantage of easier operation, lower conveyance cost and greater mobility. The results of this study have shown that integration of the SAC system into both established and planned new mines would improve the overall mining operation, expand the operating capability of existing equipment and reduce mining end reclamation cost.

Jan 1, 1977

By Franklin D. Cooper

This Bureau of Mines report reviews in detail the foundry coke situation in the United States in 1975. It discusses intrinsic production problems and identifies opportunities for modifying operating practices so that the quality and yield of foundry coke can be enhanced without unnecessary investment in new equipment. Major topics include operating data and attendant practices and problems, the relationship of carbonization phenomena to coke quality and yield, environ- mental impacts of foundry coke plant operations, suggested research and development opportunities, and data on components of oven charges and on foundry coke production and shipments.

Jan 1, 1977

By Ron F. Schritt

Over the many years since the development of the steam powered shovel, various powering and control techniques have been employed for the various shovel functions. While volumes have been published on this subject, this paper will be limited to a very brief discus-sion of one of the latest of these and its application to a unique machine. The evaluation of the subject machine is far beyond the scope of this discussion, which will be limited to the techniques and equipment employed, and the considerations involved in their choice. The basic requirements for any power and associated control system for any power shovel function have remained relatively un-changed over the years. To the extent possible, such an equipment grouping must be: Easy to install during fabrication Easy to maintain and repair by available personnel Life cycle cost competitive Adequately reliable Adequately responsive And as may be expected these factors are arranged in various orders of priority by different manufacturers and users. All the various time honored approaches have to some extent fulfilled these require-ments but were discarded or fell into disuse when more effective approaches were developed. The latest in this long line of develop-ments and perhaps the most promising is that of electro-hydraulic controls and hydraulic drive.

Jan 1, 1977

By Daniel G. DiCanio

Investigation of the costs of industrial accidents dates back to the 1920s. The Bureau of Mines was one of the pioneers in accident cost investigation with numerous studies published between 1928 and 1933. The bulk of these early investigations dealt only with costs which appeared as payouts on company books; that is, the direct cost of insurance premiums and the costs of medical expenses which resulted from industrial accidents. These early investigations, especially the Bureau's study of accident costs in Pennsylvania and Indiana coal mines provided the first real evidence that promotion of industrial safety pays back in dollars as well as in human life and wellbeing. In the 30s and 40s, investigations began to accumulate evidence that industrial accidents impacted more than just the direct operating expenses of a company (i.e., higher insurance premiums). The work of Heinrich pioneered these investigations, and produced strong evidence that the un¬insured costs of accidents far outweighed those costs covered by insurance. Heinrich developed and published a ratio of insured to uninsured costs of 1.4. Despite his cautionary statements about blanket application of this ratio it is used even today to estimate total costs of accidents. Simonds, in the late 40s and early 50s, extended the definitions of uninsured or indirect accident costs and developed what is now regarded as the principal method for estimating the total economic impact of industrial accidents. Simonds' method served as the basis for development of the logic of the Accident Cost Indicator Model (ACIM). However, several departures from Simonds' method were made to satisfy certain requirements imposed by the Bureau of Mines, and because information gathered during the course of our investigation justified a departure. These departures are noted in the discussion which follows.

Jan 1, 1977

By Marcelle A. Hauseux

"The Turgeon Lake granite lies 5 miles north of Baie Johan Beetz, Quebec, at the eastern margin of the Grenville Province. The rocks are classed as granites, granulites, quartzites, biotite schists and gneisses, and amphibolites. The granite's uraniferous character is manifested by phosphuranylite, uraninite, and metamict .zircons associated with magnetite. Field anomalies occur in irregular pods, conformable with the tectonic foliation, in bands roughly paralleling sedimentary bedding. Associated features diagnostic of uraniferous granite are smoky quartz, brick-red feldspar, magnetite and a coarse to pegmatitic grain size. The granite is chemically and physically heterogeneous. Metasediment-granite contacts are diffuse or sharp, and usually conformable to bedding. The regional foliations within all rock types are coherent, and sedimentary structures are often preserved within both metasediments and granite. Autometasomatism probably was a strong granitization agent.A uranium reconcentration into fold-axial zones from original sediments which have been highly granitized during at least two phases of folding is suggested from the available data."

Jan 1, 1977

By M. F. Goodrich

The concept of using water-only cyclones as a clean coal scalping device preceding a heavy media cyclone circuit shows considerable promise, as it can considerably reduce the feed to the heavy media cyclone circuit. The system will not perform as well as a heavy media cyclone circuit alone, but the resultant loss in yield is small and may be negligible under some conditions. The concept of water-only cyclone scalping has previously been suggested by others. By reducing the amount of raw coal to be processed in the more expensive circuits overall capital and operating costs may be reduced. There are a few commercial plants with circuits operating on this concept. In the Warwick and Rowland plants water-only cyclones are used to scalp the feed to a heavy media vessel and Deister tables respectively while Amherst Coal Company's McGregor plant uses them to scalp the feed to a heavy media cyclone circuit. The system was evaluated on a technical basis, both from a theoretical viewpoint and by analysis of a computer simulation, in order to gain a fuller understanding of its usefulness and limitations.

Jan 1, 1977

By Lloyd A. Morley

This report abstracts project work performed under USBM Grant GO155003 during the period 4 November 1975 to 3 November 1976. The research was funded, as a continuance of previous support from USBM Grants GO133077 and G0155003, to gain further knowledge in mine electrical system safety. Five reports have been separately produced, all under the grant title, "Coal Mine Electrical System Evaluation," and are as follows: 1. Volume I - Continuous Monitoring, 2. Volume II - Transient Analysis, 3. Volume III - Shielded Cables, 4. Volume IV - Computer Modeling, and 5. Volume V - Battery and Battery-charging Safety. Abstracts of these comprise the balance of this document with one exception. The task ?d-c offsett currents," does not fall under the scope of the other report volumes and, further, the material to be presented does not justify a separate report. Hence, this subject concludes the Executive Summary.

Jan 1, 1977

By Ernest M. Spokes

Maximum fan efficiency can only be obtained when the fan has the correct combination of size, speed, and blade setting to provide the required flow of air against the mine resistance. As the mine grows older, resistance decreases unless old workings flow is restricted, and new combinations of speed and blade setting or different fan sizes may provide greater economy.

Jan 1, 1977

By Dipak C. Talapatra

This report describes the development of guidelines for design, inspection and maintenance of automatic couplers. In order to devise the guidelines, performance requirements for automatic couplers were carefully established. This was clone through a comprehensive survey of coupler manufacturers and extensive observation of automatic couplers in service in a broad spectrum of mines. The capability of the couplers to withstand the demands of the mining environment in terms of strength characteristics, gathering range, curve negotiability, and other factors were all carefully evaluated. An analysis of coupler related accidents for the years 1972-1976 was carried out to provide information on the safety and reliability of existing automatic couplers. This formed an important input to the development of the guidelines. It is expected that these guidelines will he useful to coupler manufacturers for establishing designs for improved automatic couplers, and to mine operators for maintaining their couplers in a safe and good operating condition throughout their expected lifetimes. This report is in two volumes: Volume l - Technical Report Volume 2 - Design, Inspection, and Maintenance Manual

Jan 1, 1977

This Bureau of Mines report summarizes the research, development, and evaluation demonstrations conducted by the Bureau of Mines under the Health and Safety Act of 1969 to improve the means of notifying miners underground, who are away from their own phone, that they are being called.

Jan 1, 1977

By D. G. Ball

Other than being used to convey fill material for the gob stowage or building of ribside packs on advancing longwell faces, pneumatic conveying has not been used for the transport of materials on a large scale in mining operations. The technique is extensively used in the wood products industry for conveying wood chips, limestone and other ingredients for the manufacture of paper, for the transfer from railcars, barges or ships to silos or stockpiles and further transfer into the pulp mills. This method of material transfer has the distinct advantage of transporting suitable material over horizontal and vertical distances within the same system. In considering material associated with mining, this includes, ore, coal and rock up to 4 inch cubed size, throughputs of 200 tons per hour over horizontal distances of 3000 feet or vertical lifts of 2000 feet. In recent years tests have been carried out to determine the physical and economic limitations of pneumatic hoisting, the results of which have led to the installation of two fully productive coal hoisting systems at mines of the National Coal Board in Great Britain. The equipment used for the pneumatic hoisting of coal or waste rock is described in this paper, together with a brief history of the tests which led up to the installation of the two hoisting systems in Great Britain.

Jan 1, 1977

By Michael J. Bertoldi

The purpose of this Bureau of Mines report is to describe the methods and establish the basic economics for dragline, shovel-truck, and scraper mining systems. An overall view of the techniques of preliminary design and the cost involved is presented. Considerations of equipment selection, emphasizing short-range evaluation of required equipment, and a long-range evaluation are considered at a constant production rate over the life of a hypothetical mine. Separate cost analyses for each system were based on 1977 equipment prices, prevailing wage rates, and associated mining costs. Specific engineering and cost breakdown for such items as access roads, transmission line installation, rail spurs, etc., are beyond the scope of this report.

Jan 1, 1977

By Ian E. Efford

The paper gives an assessment of Canada's energy supply-and-demand position, the current situation and projections into the future, as well as a review of some alternative energy futures for Canada. The main elements of Canada's energy strategy for the period 1977-1990, with particular reference to the role of energy conservation, are discussed, leading in to the development of the national energy conservation program.

Jan 1, 1977

By Miezitis Y

A weak airborne radiometric anomaly was examined in the field and the presence of uranium confirmed. Rotary-percussion drilling showed the presence of uranium but a subsequent programme of diamond and rotary percussion drilling indicated that the concentration of uranium was uneconomic. Within the tufts and volcanics of the prospect the uranium existed as uranyl phosphates within the oxidized zone. Geological mapping and the diamond drill core showed that the Stag Creek Volcanics are part of the Lower Proterozoic Masson Formation, probably with member status, rather than the expression of an Archaean basement ridge. This change in the interpretation of the fundamental structure of the Pine Creek Geosyncline has led to a reexamination of the stratigraphy and to suggestions which differ from the current concept.

Jan 1, 1977