Search Documents

Palladium Alloys. E. M. Savitskii, V. P. Polyakova, M. A. Tylkina. Translated by: R. E. Howard. Published by Primary Services, New York, N.Y. 10012. $24.50. The output of palladium in the U.S.S.R. greatly exceeds the internal usage. The primary purpose of this 200 page volume is therefore to record details of fundamental researches on the properties of this metal with a view to expanding its marketability. Theoretical studies have revealed a number of alloys with great promise in electrical instruments and for the chemical industry. The success of these researches in the U.S.S.R. and in the U.S.A., resulted in the industrial usage of palladium exceeding that of platinum in 1957 and increasing its lead during the next decade. This volume is divided into three parts. Section I covers the mineralogy, extraction and the physical metallurgy of the metal. It records a considerable area where the resistance to corrosion of palladium equals that of platinum. Section II deals with the preparation and the properties of palladium in alloys and contains a comprehensive metallographic treatment of the many binary alloy systems. Section III is devoted to industrial applications. The 460 references which are quoted are mainly from the U.S.S.R. but otherwise have a world-wide coverage. H.B.

By L. R. Nelson

The efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the aluminothermic reduction process in the production of ferro-alloys and 'pure' metals depends strongly on appropriate balancing of the process energy required. Insufficient energy results in a poor metal yield, while over-supply can result in excessive fuming and possibly even ejection of the reactor contents in a potentially dangerous 'thermite bomb' reaction. This situation becomes even more critical when the suitability of limited quantities of oxide from new sources must be evaluated, dictating smaller-scale testwork. The resulting higher relative heat losses from the system complicates control of the energy balance, and usually requires the addition of thermal boosters or reactant preheating in order to sustain an autothermic process. This often detracts from the quality of the metal product, and adds to the hazards of batch aluminothermic- reduction testing. The development of a small-scale method (producing less than 2,5 kg of metal) for the plasma-assisted aluminothermic reduction of chromium oxide that overcomes such difficulties is described. The technique involves the use of a sealed 50 kVA plasma-arc furnace to provide controlled electrical ignition and supplementary energy to the reactants contained in a water-cooled copper crucible. The application of the method to the evaluation of the aluminothermic production of pure chromium metal from a unique chromic oxide source is reported.

Jan 1, 1996

By Colin M. Spence

If one is to discuss sensibly and beneficially the whole spectrum of education, training, and employment of engineers, it is not possible to confine oneself to Professional Engineers because the profession of engineering embraces also technologists, technicians, and those people known in South Africa as certificated engineers. It would therefore be imprudent if this seminar were to be limited to certain sectors of the profession and industry. I hope that it will review the full situation from top to bottom and from side to side. New President of FAPA Mr Douglas H. Mills took office as President of the Federation of Societies of Professional Engineers on 1st July, 1985.

Jan 1, 1985

By H. W. Read

Sustained growth in demand for platinum group metals has resulted in an unfettered increase in new projects undertaken by the platinum producers. These projects are outsourced to various degrees. The argument of this paper is that both the client?s project manager and the consultant?s project manager are essential elements in the successful execution of a project. Their roles are not only different but also complementary, and are defined in the paper. Data gained from considerable experience in the South African corporate mining environment underpins the opinions expressed in the paper. Furthermore, an extensive literary search was undertaken to determine trends in related industries outside the South African context. Throughout the argument it is emphasized that project philosophy emanates from a systems view and must be treated as an overarching whole. The elements of project management become meaningless unless they are connected to one another and integrated into a cohesive unit. Advancing the knowledge field of project management is of critical importance to mining investors. There is no doubt that a key determinant of the sustainability of mining business is closely related to the efficiency of all-inclusive project management. From pre-investment and feasibility studies, implementation and execution, to ramping-up to full production, scientific project management has a critical role to play. Guidelines for the pursuance of this ideal are proposed. The introduction contextualizes the subject matter in an overview of the evolution of mine management in South Africa and abroad. Then, brief insight is given into the philosophy of project management. This exposition is confined to the predispositions, presuppositions and defining characteristics of project management. The core of the paper looks at the roles of the client?s project manager in relation to the consultant?s project manager. This section is underpinned by practical experience gained by the author on numerous mining projects. A view is taken of the future of project management in the mining industry. The conclusion summarizes the argument and aligns project management trends in the mining industry.

Jan 1, 2004

This paper describes DRA?s involvement with the expansions at Tati Nickel, Phoenix Mine, that have taken an initial plant design of 3.6 Mtpa (originally built by Murray & Roberts), up to 5 Mtpa, and eventually 12 Mtpa capacity. Initially, the plant could not achieve the design name plate capacity for the first few years of operation, as a consequence of the notoriously hard and abrasive nickel ore affecting primarily the operation of the crusher circuit. In order to extend the life of mine, Tati? assessed and then redefined the mining plan, choosing to increase the Phoenix mine reserves to a lower cut-off grade. In order to increase nickel units produced, the concentrator had to therefore treat additional tonnage at lower head grades. Site investigations and field tests around the comminution circuits are outlined, indicated that the milling circuit could be increased to 650 tph, from the initial design of 470 tph, for a similar feed grade and recovery. A project was initiated to debottleneck the crusher circuit and achieve the new target throughput. (Project 5M). This was followed by a feasibility study of the impact of pre-concentration by DMS, which after promising laboratory tests, was followed up with the installation of a 200 tph ?demonstration? plant. The success of this demonstration plant provided the impetus to expand the supply to the 5 Mtpa mill from a large preconcentration stage. A gyratory crusher (one of the largest and most powerful) will receive ore directly from the open pit operation, feeding into a secondary-tertiary crushing plant followed by a modular DMS preparation circuit. Four large DMS processing modules have been installed to treat the tonnage, with high expected rejection levels. Finally a review of the DMS process capability on an ostensibly disseminated micro-gabbro nickel ore is given, which shows the remarkable impact that preconcentration can have on an operation, both in terms of profitability and a successful process ?expansion?. The performance of the DMS plant has significantly extended the life of mine, allowing the mine to significantly reduce mine cut-off grades and curb its previously selective mining practice.

Jan 1, 2009

By L. Woollacott, R. P. King

This paper presents data collected from full-scale plants in order to verify the predictions of a new simulator of CIP or CL operations. Good agreement was found between the experimental data and the simulator predictions. The simulator is able to predict the effects of many of the complex operating phenomena in GIP and CL plants that previous simulation techniques could not describe. This is illustrated by predictions of how factors, such as the manner of carbon transfer, concurrent leaching, and gold loading on eluted carbon, can affect the performance of an adsorption plant.

Jan 1, 1990

By D. Limpitlaw

Industrial mining in Zambia started in the 1930s when the world class copper deposits near the border with Katanga were developed. The discovery of these deposits began at the turn of the century when the first claims in the Copperbelt were pegged at Chambishi, north of what became the town of Kitwe1. World War I and the difficulties of raising sufficient capital for such large scale undertakings delayed the exploitation of these deposits. Following this hesitant start, a large copper mining complex was built, resulting in the development of five major towns, all highly dependent on the mining and beneficiation of copper and cobalt. Copper became so important to the country that, on independence, the only non-mining town to make it onto a list of the top six was the capital, Lusaka. From commissioning of the mines to the end of the colonial period in 1964, copper production increased to just over 640 000 t annually2 (see Figure 1). After the establishment of the new Zambian state, production continued to increase, supported by a benign legislative environment and strong international copper prices. The government of Kenneth Kaunda was intent on improving the conditions of the rural poor and reducing unemployment in urban areas. To this end, the government embarked on an ambitious project of refocusing Zambia's economy away from the colonial role of commodity supply to one of decentralized mass employment. The Copperbelt industrial complex was key to the success of this approach, and in 1969 the Zambian State acquired a 51 per cent stake in Zambia's two main copper producing companies: Roan Selection Trust and Rhodesian Anglo American Corporation. The former became Roan Consolidated Mines Ltd (RCM) and the latter became Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines Ltd (NCCM). In the year they were nationalized, the mines produced at least 720 000 t of copper? and employed approximately 48,000 workers (see Figure 2)2-4. The subsequent economic policies of the Zambian Government depended heavily on the state's ability to monopolize the proceeds of copper mining.

Jan 1, 2011

By R. D. Beck

The minerals industry needs the support of al sections of the population if it is going to be able to supply the new materials required for future development. It will achieve this support only if its image is good. Perceived images of the minerals industry are examined in respect of history, technology, environment, safety, education, and economics. Concern is expressed about the low technological image of the industry and the declining number of students enrolling in minerals-related disciplines. It is concluded that it is the professionals, through institutes like The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, who must take the lead in improving the image of the minerals industry. The Presidential Address gives data to support this thesis; data that, is hoped, can be used in efforts to educate people about the minerals industry.

Jan 1, 1991

The Annual General Meeting of the Institute was held in Kelvin House, Johannesburg, on Wednesday, 27th August, 1969, at 4.15 p.m. Mr. R. C. J. Goode (President) was in the Chair. There were also present seventy Members, ten As¬sociate Members, two Affiliates, one Student and twelve Visitors making a total of ninety-five. The President declared the meeting open at 4.20 p.m. OBITUARIES The President: "It is my very sad duty to announce the deaths of the following members of the Institute: Mr James Charles Napoleon Humphreys, a Life Member who joined the Institute on 1st April, 1935, and passed away on 6th February, 1969. Mr Michael John Worrall, Graduate Member, who joined the Institute in 1960 and passed away on 2nd June, 1969. Mr Eric Adam Conrad Dickson, Associate Member, who joined the Institute on 13th June, 1952 and who passed away on 8th June, 1969. Mr Robert Jack, Associate Member, who joined the Institute on 2nd August, 1956, and passed away on 14th June, 1969. Mr R. A. H. Flugge-de-Smidt, Honorary Life Member and Gold Medallist, who joined the Institute in 1922 and passed away on 17th June, 1969. Mr John Gordon Craig, a Member who joined the Institute on 23rd August, 1960, and passed away on 6th August, 1969. As a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, and in sympathy with the bereaved, I would ask you to rise and observe a few moments silence." MINUTES The President: "May we confirm the Minutes of the General Meeting held on 18th June, 1969, as published in the July, 1969, issue of the Journal?"-Agreed. WELCOME TO VISITORS The President: "We are honoured this afternoon by the presence of the Institute's Honorary President, Mr R. S. Cooke, President of the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, and by one of our Honorary Vice-Presidents, Mr T. L. Gibbs, the Government Mining Engineer, as well as by the presence of many distinguished guests, to all of whom I extend a most cordial welcome. We are happy to have present, Mr S. C. M. Naude, Director of the Witwatersrand Technical College, Mr G. A. P. Louw, Vice-President of the Associated Scientific and Technical Societies, Mr R. P. Randall, Senior Vice-President of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers, Mr W. T. L. Wayman, President of the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Mr D. F. Odendaal, President of the Institution of Certificated Mechanical and Electrical Engineers of South Africa, Mr E. Haacke, President of the Institute of Land Surveyors of the Transvaal, Mr B. L. Loffell, Vice-President of the South African Institution of Civil Engineers, Mr J. F. Leatherbarrow, President of the South African Institute of Assayers and Analysts, Dr W. S. Rapson, President of the Joint Council of the South African Scientific Societies, Dr P. L. Carman, President of the South African Chemical Institute, Mr F. Jackson, President of the Federation of Societies of Professional Engineers, Mr W. E. Kirkwood, President, S.E.I.F.S.A., Mr J. Steele, President of the South African Institute of Foundrymen, Mr M. Waite, President of the South African Institution of Welding, Mr M. R. Gericke, President of the South African Council of Professional Engineers, Mr G. C. Sowry, Chairman, Witbank-Middelburg Branch, Mr T. Groenewald, Chairman of the South African Chemical Institute (Southern Transvaal Section), Professor O. B. Volckman, Chairman of the South African Institution of Chemical Engineers, Mr H. W. Le Roux, Chairman of the South African Federation of University Engineer¬ing Students, Dr R. E. Robinson, Director of the National Institute for Metallurgy, Mr P. H. Anderson, Deputy-Chairman of Rand Mines Limited, Mr E. Boden, Manager of the A.S. and T.S. and Count Folchi-Vici, from Italy, who has lime interests in this country. I also extend a very special welcome to the lady guests here this afternoon, and to all the visitors." MEMBERSHIP The President: "I have pleasure in announcing that the names of the following candidates, having been published in accordance with By-Law 5.2.2, Council has elected them to membership in the following grades: NEW APPLICATIONS Members: Stuart Denston Hill, Robert Roy Richardson, Gert Paulus van der Vyver. Affiliates: Henry Clifford Read, Allen Edward Hooper, Alan Edwin Edkins. Graduates: Lester Winston Sturgess, Erroll Vincent Bosman. Students: Terence Vernon van Heerden, David Curtis Lindley. MEMBERS TRANSFERRED TO A HIGHER GRADE From Associate Member to Member: Andries Willem van Zyl, Roy Lardner, Nugent Gerald Ward Comyn. From Student to Graduate: Michael John Worrell (now passed away), Peter John Hamilton Short. I wish to welcome the new members to the Institute, and to congratulate those members who have been transferred to a higher grade." ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30th JUNE, 1969 The President: "Ladies and gentlemen, It is with much pleasure that I present to you the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30th June, 1969. These have been laid on the chairs and before calling for their adoption I would like to make a few comments. The Accounts show an excess of expenditure over income of R2,124 and our Honorary Treasurer, Mr D. G. Maxwell, will in due course comment on this. The main difficulty has again been the cost of the Journal and I think most of you are aware of the changes that we propose to make. I shall be sorry to see the last of our old format but then I have always had rather a con¬servative outlook.

By G. T. Lineberry, C. M. Baird, D. L. Silverstein

The University of Kentucky (UK), with an enrollment of 25,891 in fall 2002, is a comprehensive, public land-grant university located in the Bluegrass Region of Central Kentucky. As the State’s flagship university, UK has long been involved in distance education, first through traditional correspondence courses, followed by use of videotape and satellite delivery in the 1970s and1980s, but soon supplanted by use of interactive television (ITV) and on-line course delivery in the 1990s to date. Today, UK Distance Learning Programs annually administers approximately600 course sections, with services provided to over 5200 enrollees. Courses are offered via six media: interactive video, Internet, on-site, satellite, open-air and cable television, and videotape, with hybrid delivery becoming increasingly popular. The University of Kentucky College of Engineering experience with distance instruction prior to 1985 was limited to videotape non-credit offerings. The Department of Mining Engineering, a small department in terms of numbers of both faculty and students, was a University pioneer in distance education. The first University degree program offered in its entirety by distance delivery(initially by itinerant faculty) was the Master of Mining Engineering. Satellite delivery from Lexington to Cumberland, Kentucky, was a welcomed change of delivery mode in 1987–88,resulting in six hours less travel time for faculty each week. Shortly thereafter, other initiatives directed toward fulfilment of its land-grant mission were undertaken by the College. Use of satellite for course delivery rapidly declined due to limited interactivity, in favour of compressed video and on-site instruction. Classroom sites in the Kentucky Tele-Linking Network (KTLN) now number over 200. The Network links schools, colleges and universities, as well as public and private agencies throughout the State. The KTLN supports voice, video, and data transmission in a uniformly-equipped environment. Beginning in the early 1990s, transfer-critical pre-engineering courses were delivered from Lexington to Kentucky’s community colleges with the largest pre-engineering enrolments. Success was limited, but lessons learned were invaluable. In 1996, the University of Kentucky College of Engineering was asked by the Kentucky Council on Higher Education (the predecessor to the Council on Postsecondary Education) to expand engineering education in Kentucky, first by initiating cooperative B.Sc. degree programmes in Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering on the campus of Paducah Community College (PCC), located 400 km from the UK campus in Lexington. The third partner in these programmes is Murray State University (MuSU), a public regional comprehensive university 80 km south of Paducah. The genesis of the new degree programmes, which were subjected to ABET review in October 2002, as well as a summary of the major accomplishments and challenges of the innovative programmes, will be offered. The limited use of distance technologies for course delivery in these B.Sc. degree programmes will be discussed. A ‘no-spin’ overview of other non-traditional distance-learning ventures within the College of Engineering will be chronicled, with an honest assessment of the motivation for these efforts and, where appropriate, their relative degree of success. Among these ventures are: a BScME and a Master of Engineering programme at Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Kentucky, Georgetown, Kentucky; course exchange in Chemical Engineering between the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville; an ITV-based Master of Engineering programme for practicing engineers in Kentucky; proposed joint-degree programmes in Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering with Western Kentucky University; and a proposed part-time MScME programme in Paducah, Kentucky, with a start date of August 2002, threshold enrolment permitting. Keywords: distance learning, distance education.

Jan 1, 2003

By A. J. Duncan, Bath M. D., E. R. Rudolph

Some factors influencing gold recovery by gravity concentration by M. D. BATH,. M.A.Se. (Met.) British Columbia (Visitor) A. J. DUNCAN,. B.Sc. (Hons.) Rhodes, M.S.A.C.I. (Visitor) E. R. RUDOLPH,* M.Se. (Eng.) Rand (Member) Recent studies have shown that the overall extraction of gold from Witwatersrand ores is increased as the proportion of gold reporting to the amalgamation circuit is increased. Testwork has therefore been carried out with a view to improving recovery by gravity concentration. In this paper, the history of gold recovery by gravity concentration is reviewed, and methods and machines at present in use are briefly described. The results of plant and laboratory tests are presented, and the limitation of existing concentrators is discussed. A pilot plant is being built for the testing of improvements to the existing concentrators and of several new devices, particularly the Reichert-cone concentrator.

By S. A. C. Liedberg, M. H. Fricker

The conference was divided into a total of 12 different sessions. Apart from the keynote addresses, the papers covered many aspects of open-pit mining, from mine design and blasting techniques to mining operations and equipment, as well as water management and rehabilitation. A number of case studies were also presented. Most of the 68 papers originated from Australia; however, presentations were also made by representatives from Chile, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and South Africa. The keynote papers dealt with subjects such as the economics of open pits, project planning of a new large copper deposit, management principles, and rehabilitation strategies.

Jan 1, 1993

By J. Rajala

The Kupol mill facility processed a high grade free milling gold/silver ore containing 28.2 g/t Au, 324.8 g/t Ag and approximately 0.5% pyrite during 2008 operation. Gold predominantly occurs a selectrum in the ore and silver is predominantly present in the forms of acanthite, stephanite, pyrargyrite and proustite. Mill start-up was in mid-May 2008 and the mill reached the design throughput of 3 000 tpd in October. The ore was ground to approximately 70%?53 microns. A Knelson Concentrator recovered 9.8% gold and 0.5% silver. The gravity tails reported to a cyanidation circuit that has 14 hours pretreatment and 116 hours leaching. The slurry from cyanidation was then processed by counter current decantation (CCD) thickening to wash and separate the leach residue from the pregnant leach solution. Precious metals are recovered fromthe pregnant solution using the Merrill-Crowe process. The washed CCD leach residue slurry is treated with calcium hypochlorite to destroy cyanide and then sent to the tailings impoundment. Leaching is performed with a new technology called ?CELP? (CANMET Enhanced Leach Process). The Kupol mill overall gold and silver recoveries for 2008 were 95.4% and 85.6% respectively, which were 2.8% and 7.5% higher than targets. Gold and silver extractions in the leach circuit were 94.2% and 84.5% respectively. Leach profiles indicated that gold extraction reached a plateau in the 4th tank while minor silver dissolution occurred in the 5th tank. With the CCD circuit included, total gold and silver extractions increased to 95.4% and 86.6%, respectively. Optimization of the leaching strategy made it possible to reduce sodium cyanide concentration to as low as 410 ppm without compromising precious metals extractions. Silver was effectively leached from the refractory silver minerals because CELP produced more oxidized mineral surface relative to the conventional cyanidation leached mineral surfaces. The average cyanide consumption for 2008 was 1.3 kg/t. The new leaching technology proved to be very robust and performed efficiently even with changes in feed grade and ore mineralogy. Laboratory experiments produced results that were indicative of plant performance. The robustness of the technology and the laboratory test work contributed to the success of the Kupol mill start-up.

Jan 1, 2009

Book review Pearson, J. S. Ocean floor mining. Park Ridge (New Jersey), Noyes Data Corporation, 1975. 201 pp. NIM reports Report no. 308 A mineralogical study of gold particles in pulp residues from the Bracken Gold Mine. (7th Mar.,1968. Re-issued Oct. 1975.) Report no. 377 Examination of pulp samples, treated with cyanide, for coated gold.(7th Aug., 1968. Reissued Oct.1975.) Report no. 385 The determination of the nature of coatings on gold particles. (2nd Aug., 1968. Reissued Oct. 1975.) Report no. 452 The Purlex Process - a description of the pilot plant leading to the use of the process in South Africa. (13th Jan., 1969. Re-issued Oct. 1975.) Report no. 482 Review of work on the treatment of pegmatites. (9th Apr., 1969. Reissued Sep. 1975.) Report no. 1443 Gravity concentration tests on four samples from Tantalite Valley,S. W.A. (5th Jul., 1972. Re-issued Sep. 1975.) Report no. 1489 The breakage of S oderberg electrodes. (10th Nov., 1972. Re-issued Nov. 1975.) Report no. 1545 A mineralogical investigation of leach residues from the Blyvooruitzicht Gold Mine. (22nd May, 1973. Re-issued Nov. 1975.) Report no. 1583 Preliminary tests on winnowing for the recovery of mica. (12th Nov., 1973. Re-issued Sep. 1975.) Report no. 1652 The identification of diamonds from Premier, Finsch, and Jagersfontein Mines by statistical analysis of data obtained from instrumental neutron-activation analysis. Report no. 1723 The determination of zirconium and aluminium in zirconiumaluminium alloys. Report no. 1739 The determination of trace amounts of noble metals in sulphate media. Report no. 1771 The determination of silver, selenium, tellurium, antimony, tin, lead, and arsenic in anode sludges. Report no. 1772 A study of copper recovery by lime roasting and leaching. Corrigendum The Special Issue of Volume 76 of the Journal ('Recent Advances in Mineral Dressing, October 1975) should be corrected as follows. The South African Institute Of Mining And Metallurgy - Information On Membershlp The Institute was founded in 1894 as the Chemical and Metallurgical Society of South Africa. In 1904 it was reconstituted as the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa and in 1956 it became the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Die Suid-Afrikaanse Instituut vir Mynbou en Metallurgie - Inligting Oor Lidmaatskap Die Instituut is in 1894 gestig as die Chemiese en MIetallurgiese Vereniging van ::!nid-Afrika. In 190-1is dit omvorm tot die Chemiese Metallurgiese en Mynbouvereniging van Sllid-Afrika en in 1956 het dit die Suid-Afrikaanse Instituut vir Mynbou en l\Ietallurgie geword.

Jan 2, 1976

"Chairman: Dr N. G. W. Cook Rapporteur: Mr M. P. RobertsPapers:Planning open pit mining operations using simulation by A. Bauer and P. N. Calder Simulation for control of underground liquid flow by G. N. Pitts and P. B. CrawfordEvaluation of production strategies in a group of copper mines by linear programming by P. H. Williams, J. N. Brooke and D. M. PoulterAn equipment maintenance system by D. W. Dean and J. A. RyderTaken as a whole, the difference between the four papers in this session were perhaps more illuminating than their similarities. The titles of the first and second papers contained the word 'simulation', and in both papers random number generation was relied upon in the selection of inputs from empirical distributions, but the nature of the models to which these values were inputs were quite different. The third paper displayed another method of uniting the empirical and the theoretical in a linear programming formulation whose matrix coefficients were measured empirically, and here some apt remarks on computer implementation were included. This paved the way for the last paper which abandoned all theoretical pretensions in favour of a detailed description of computer implementation and perhaps as a result gave rise to the most feeling audience participation.The systems mentioned were developed for the iron, petrol, copper and gold producing industries in the US, Canada, Zambia and South Africa..As with all the parallel sessions, contributions from the floor may have been limited by the shorter time available to delegates to acquaint themselves with the papers before the session. In spite of this, and due largely to the active chairman¬ship of Dr Cook, the discussion during the session which is summarized here contributed much to the information contained in the papers themselves.In his presentation, Dr Calder summarized his paper. He expected that simulation would be used in future on an almost universal basis in open pit mining. It could contribute new knowledge more cheaply than experimentation in the flea For example, this study had shown what was previously thought to be a matter of more shovels and trucks was really a blasting problem, and improving blasting had increased production to the desired level. The simulation had shown that uniformity of truck performance was a desirable factor. It had also been used to study the advisability of a dispatching system.Dr Ramani contended that where equipment characteristics were available, deterministic standard simulation could adequately simulate systems in which interference occurred. Operator performance could be measured against perfor¬mance curves predicted by standard simulation and poor operators spotted and retrained. The present system did not take into account variability in truck loading, for instance. Dr Calder replied that if the number of variables was large, the standard approach became too complicated for operating personnel to follow. He admitted he had not tried it. The variability of truck loading could be coped with easily using the Monte Carlo approach. Operator variability was already incorporated because the time studies are actual."

Jan 1, 2014

Ninth International Symposium TECHNIQUES FOR DECISION MAKING IN THE MINERAL INDUSTRY The Symposium which is to be held in Montreal during the week of 14th to 19th June, 1970, follows the Computer Symposium held in Salt Lake City in September, 1969. The purpose of the Symposium is to define the role of decision-making techniques within the mineral industry and to stimulate the development of specific applications. The subject of the Symposium-mathematics, operations research and computers as applied to the mineral industry-have permitted us to structure it in such a way that a complete picture of the mineral industry in its public policy, corporate, financial and technological environment emerges. Topics for the sessions are: . The Public Policy Environment;. The role of Decision Making Techniques in the Mining Company; . Information Storage and Retrieval; . Markets-Forecasting, Patterns and Strategies;. Search for Mineral Deposits;. Quantification of Geological Variables;. The Mine Development Decision; Production Systems;. Planning, Scheduling and Control Systems. The sessions will be directed energetically by chairmen who have been in continuous contact with the authors, providing them with information about related papers and sessions. This symposium is sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, McGill University and Ecole Polytechnique. Further information may be obtained from: The 9th International Symposium. W. H. Gauvin, General Chairman, J. Elbrond, Programme Chairman. Department of Mining Engineering, Ecole Poly technique, P.O. Box 501, Snowdon, Montreal 248, Quebec, Canada. ACHEMA 1970 The European meeting of Chemical Engineering and the Achema Congress 1970 is being held at Frankfurt/Maine, from 17th to 24th June, 1970. The programme includes some 110 plenary and specialised lectures, numerous technical films, excursions, and technical discussions in front of the exhibits which form the central feature of the Achema-Exhibition Congress. Further information may be obtained from the honorary representative of Achema in South Africa, Mr F. Schilling, P.O. Box 31274, Braamfontein, Johannesburg. NINTH COMMONWEALTH CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS Publication of the proceedings of the Ninth Commonwealth Mining and Metallurgical Congress, 1969, is being undertaken by the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London. There will be four volumes covering papers presented at the Congress together with the discussion and author's replies, and the addresses by Sir Duncan and Sir Ronald Prain. These will be available April-June 1970. Special pre-publication prices apply to orders received before 1st April, 1970. Order forms may be obtained from Secretary S.A.I.M.M., P.O. Box 1183, Johannesburg. 6th World Congress on the Prevention of Occupational Risks This Congress, dealing with industrial accidents and occupational diseases, will be held in Vienna from 10th to 15th May, 1971. Further information may be obtained from: VI Weltkongress für Unfallverhütung, Postfach 745, A-1015 Wien, ÖSTERREICH. International Vacuum Metallurgy Conference 1970 The Vacuum Metallurgy Division of the American Vacuum Society is organizing an international meeting that will be held at the Convention Center in Aanaheim, California from 15th to 19th June, 1970. Enquiries should be directed to the Arrangement's Chairman, L. M. Bianchi, TRW Inc., 23555 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44117, Tel. No. (216) 383-2111. AIME WORLD LEAD-ZINC SYMPOSIUM This symposium is being held from 21st to 23rd October, 1970, in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., in conjunction with the Fall Meeting of the Society of Mining Engineers, and a Rapid Excavation Conference. In addition to local field trips to smelter and refinery operations there will be a number of extended trips of six to eight days. Information may be obtained from: Mr. John C. Fox, Secretary, Society of Mining Engineers of AI.M.E., 354 East 47th Street, New York, N.Y. 10017, U.S.A. NEW SUBSCRIPTION RATE TO THE JOURNAL As from 1st JANUARY, 1970, the subscription rate for the Journal has been increased from R12.00 to R18.00 per annum, i.e. R1.50 per issue instead of R1.00. The discount to booksellers is 15 per cent. COURSEOF THE THEORYOF THE UNIT OPERATION OF GRINDING The South African Institute of Chemical Engineers is arranging for Prof. L. G. Austen to conduct a course on the above subject in September, 1970. Interested persons should contact Dr G. S. Harrison, S.A. Institution of Chemical Engineers, A.E. & C.I., 15 Anderson Street, Johannesburg. METRICATION The S.A. Bureau of Standards has published a document entitled "Metric Scales and Units for use in the Building and Construction Industry." It has been compiled by the Metrication Committee of the National Building and Construction Advisory Council and is the first of the series of informatory documents relating to the programme for the metrication of the Building Act Construction Industry. This document is obtainable from the South African Bureau of Standards, Private Bag 191, Pretoria at 50c per copy.

By K. G. Lomberg

The integration of various highly sophisticated IT applications has been implemented at Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine, a new platinum mine in the Anglo Platinum Group. This system is required to assist with compiling the necessary geological and grade information together with safety, environmental, ventilation, rock engineering and logistical constraints, to allow the design of the appropriate mining layout, to schedule this design, provide the necessary output for technical review and costing as well as budgeting to allow medium- and long-term business planning. In addition the production management and short-term planning needs must be met. This includes the plotting of all underground and surface infrastructure and excavations, giving the necessary mining and best cut instructions, daily production management, ore reserve and grade management as well as assisting with budgetary management. In addition all safety, health, environment and risk assessment requirements and legal requirements have to be met. The system at Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine has met these criteria. Keywords: Platinum, Bushveld Complex, Mine Planning, Production Management

Jan 1, 2003

By V. L. Nkuna, S. R. Amos, T. Naidoo

"Ivanhoe Mines’ Kamoa copper project is a recently discovered high-grade copper sulphide deposit in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mineralization identified to date within the resource is typical of sedimentary-hosted stratiform copper deposits and comprises three distinct units: supergene, mixed, and hypogene mineralization. Since 2010, various metallurgical test work campaigns have been conducted on drill core from different areas within the deposit in line with resource expansion. The most recent bench-scale flotation test work has shown positive repeatable results. The work was conducted on a composite sample of drill core from the southern part of the Kamoa resource. The sample is representative of the first four to five years of planned production, when Ivanhoe Mines intends to produce clean, highgrade copper flotation concentrate. A detailed test work roadmap developed from first principles for the campaign led to an optimum flow sheet for treating the Kamoa mineralization. Copper recoveries of 88.3%, at a concentrate grade of 39.0% copper, were achieved using a composite sample — an improvement on the previously published 85.9% life-of-mine average copper recovery indicated in the November 2013 Kamoa Preliminary Economic Assessment. IntroductionThe Kamoa project is a newly discovered, very large, stratiform copper deposit with adjacent prospective exploration areas within the Central African Copperbelt, approximately 25 km west of the town of Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and about 270 kilometres west of the provincial capital of Lubumbashi. Ivanhoe Mines holds its 95% interest in the Kamoa copper project through a subsidiary company, Kamoa Copper SA Limited SPRL, and DRC government owns 5%. The project location is indicated in Figure 1.In January 2013, a new independent mineral resource estimate ranked Kamoa as Africa's largest high-grade copper discovery and the world's largest undeveloped highgrade copper discovery. At this time, Ivanhoe Mines had estimated discovered Indicated Mineral Resources of 739 Mt grading 2.67% copper, containing 43.5 billion pounds of copper, and Inferred Mineral Resources of 227 Mt grading 1.96% copper, containing 9.8 billion pounds of copper, as demonstrated in the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) (AMC, 2013). A 1% copper cut-off grade and a minimum vertical mining thickness of 3 m were applied in each classification."

Jan 1, 2016

By J. R. Percival, L. Ip, M. D. Piggott, S. J. Neethling

Component wear due to particle-laden flow is a significant challenge in the minerals processing industry in the handling and transportation of abrasive mineral slurries. Studying wear through experimentation is time-consuming and expensive; therefore possessing the ability to accurately simulate, understand and predict wear in these complex environments is highly desirable. The ability to predict wear is important in both the design of equipment in order to maximise the performance over the wear life of the components, as well in minimising potentially costly and dangerous failures and unscheduled maintenance.. Particle-induced wear is a complex problem, requring an understanding of coupled fluid-solid motion, geometry deformation in response to fluid-solid behaviour, moving geometries and wear modelling. Although the literature demonstrates that rebounding particles and changes to surface profiles can have a significant effect on subsequent wear rates and patterns, the challenge of implementing a model to account for this effect in complex geometries has been addressed by only a few authors in the literature. This paper describes a new wear simulator, leveraging fluidity, an open-source, massively parallel, finite element based CFD simulator capable of unstructured adaptive meshing. The wear simulator includes the ability to model particle-laden flow using representative Lagrangian particles and dynamic remeshing of geometry in response to wear and component movement. These capabilities are demonstrated using wear and the associated dynamically deforming boundaries within a Coriolis tester arm, with the results comparing favourably with the experimentally observed wear patterns. Keywords: CFD, wear, two-phase flows, anisotropic mesh adaptivity, boundary deformation

Jan 1, 2020

By C. G. Hutson

The Zinc Corporation of South Africa (Zincor) were hosts to about forty members of the Institute at their works in Springs on Friday, 25th April, 1986. The programme, designed to give an overview of the industry and the part played by Zincor, comprised an introductory talk, a technical talk, a tour of the plant, and a luncheon. Radioactive waste in arid regions A conference on the disposal of radioactive waste in arid areas will be held in Cape Town during the period 7th to 12th September, 1986. It is recommended that engineers and scientists avail themselves of the opportunity to familiarize themselves with this relatively new multidisciplinary field of endeavor by attending the first ever conference of this nature to be held in South Africa. Iron control in hydro metallurgy The International Symposium on Iron Control in Hydrometalurgy will be held at the 16th Hydrometallurgical Meeting, from 19th to 22nd October, 1986, in Toronto, Canada.

Jan 1, 1986