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This report, the second in an annual series, summarizes information on latest technological developments and advances, and identifies trends in mining and metallurgy based on a review of activities in the minerals industry in 1971. Exploration and mining data obtained from an annual canvass are presented for 1971 and are compared with similar data obtained over the past decade.

Jan 1, 1973

By J. Girard-Dwyer, T. Camm

Direct costs such as medical, legal, administrative, and worker’s compensation costs, property damage, lost earnings, and lost benefits are typically used to compute the economic impacts of occupational injuries. However, there are also a number of less obvious, indirect costs that substantially contribute to the overall loss costs. In fact, for every $1 of direct costs an estimated $3 to $5 of indirect costs are also incurred. This paper presents a systems approach that incorporates engineering, economics, psychology, and sociology in order to evaluate the total value of investments in safety. By studying the interrelated system comprised of the injured worker, their family and coworkers, as well as the organizational structure that was the setting for the incident, a methodology can be developed that will more accurately capture the true costs of mine injuries.

By P Davidson

For many years, in numerous settings, the need for a language-fair and culture-fair assessment test has been identified as a significant issue for employment and selection for training of remote indigenous community members. Pivotal to the successful implementation and application of such a test is for it to gain the acceptance and trust of the local indigenous communities as a fair assessment and for it to provide organisations with an accurate predictive tool. However, when western tests have been used with indigenous groups, inherent language and cultural bias have had a significant negative impact in terms of community acceptance. These have also affected the accuracy of performance predictability. The Queensland Test was developed to overcome these problems. Originally developed for use in Papua New Guinea, it reduced training failures by 20 per cent. Later refinements were made and it was used with Aboriginal Australians. Since 2002, assessment tests have been used by the Freeport mine in West Papua to support their recruitment, selection and training processes for the local indigenous community, the Seven Suku Tribes. The initial process included the application of standard æwesternÆ assessment tests, which did not provide valid selection predictions, with community members and elders describing these tests as unfair and the organisation being concerned that the results were not accurate. A trial of the Queensland Test was conducted and a high correlation was established between the performance of FreeportÆs current Seven Suku employees as assessed by their managers and their Queensland Test results. Based on the results of this pilot the Queensland Test was successfully implemented as the primary selection tool for potential employees from these local indigenous groups. The testing materials and method gained community trust and support, with tribal elders describing the Queensland Test as a fair and suitable selection tool for their community members. Such results have sparked an interest within the Australian Mining industry, with similar results being reported from a recent trial. The Queensland Test has been implemented at a major site in Queensland and is being investigated for use elsewhere.

Jan 1, 2006

By Rowena Anderson

Mining companies are now looking for more effective ways to engage the community in public participation. Consensus-based approaches are becoming the most popularly applied way of achieving meaningful public participation. This paper introduces the principles surrounding consensus-building approaches and the processes for getting them started. The Healthy Communities Movement is one such consensus-based approach that offers a well-established holistic model for conceptualizing a healthy sustainable community. It also highlights the importance of public participation as an essential component of achieving a sustainable community. The paper concludes by illustrating how current company-community relations programs can utilize these models.

May 1, 2002

By D. E. Shanks

This U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) research simplified an earlier hydrogen chloride (HCI) leach-sparge process developed by the USBM to recover reduction-grade alumina from domestic kaolin clay. Improvements were made by decreasing the initial leaching acid concentration from 25 to 20 pet, decreasing the leaching time from 1 to 2 h to 15 to 30 min, eliminating the solvent extraction step for Fe removal, and eliminating the step to recover the AI content of the bleedstream circuit. A 10-cycle bench-scale experiment of the simplified process showed that the ferric chloride (FeC13) concentration built up to 9.3 g/L in the recycle stream. This did not interfere with any of the unit operations or final alumina product purity because Fe forms stable soluble chloride complexes when sparged with HCI and is easily washed from the large aluminum chloride hexahydrate (ACH) crystals. The reduced leaching time and acid concentration did not decrease Al extraction.

Jan 1, 2010

By Earl L. Fosse

"Preliminary examination of the Khayyam mine indicated that greater reserves of copper might be found by trenching, sampling, detailed geological and topographical mapping, and diamond drilling. The deposit seemed to be a potential source of sulfur, also, for use in the manufacture of paper pulp.Formal examination of the Khayyam mine by the Bureau of Mines was a follow-up of a preliminary examination made by W.S. Wright and the author on October 19-21, 1944. John Reed and W. S. Twanhofel, of the Geological Survey, visited the property during the summer of 1943 and suggested that the prospect be examined further.Preliminary examination of the Stumble-On claim was made July 1-3, 1945, concomitant with the formal examination of the Khayyam mine 11/2 miles to the west.In its program of exploration of mineral deposits, the Bureau of lanes has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy, It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratory project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts pre¬liminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report, The Metallurgical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests. Both these branches arc under the supervision of Dr. R, S. Dean, assistant director.Special acknowledgment is due Robert S. Sanford, acting chief, Alaska Division, Mining Branch, for his help in the preparation of this report and during the project work.The Khayyam property is situated at 550 18’ north latitude and 1320 24’ west longitude on Prince of Wales Island in Southeastern Alaska. (see fig. 1.) The mine adit is 2,350 feet above sea level, near the summit of a mountain ridge, and 2.8 miles in an airline southwest of the head of McKenzie Inlet, a southern branch of Skown Arm. Skowl arm is navigable by ocean-going vessels .to the mouth of McKenzie Inlet, where reefs and rocky islands limit the channel width to 50 yards. Beyond this point the inlet widens to nearly half a mile. Coast and Geodetic Survey chart 8142 indicates from 12 fathoms of water at this narrow neck to more than 30 fathoms throughout the remainder of McKenzie Inlet, The old ore bunker and dock at the head. of the inlet are beyond repair. A new ore bunker and dock would have to be built if a large-scale mining operation were established.The mine can be reached by trail along the western ridge that lies on the west bank of Omar Creek. The trail is approximately 4 miles in length. The grade is rather steep to an elevation of 1,500 feet, but the last 21 miles can be traveled over gentle slopes along the crest of the ridge.Ketchikan is 30 miles by air and 42 miles by water from the head of McKenzie Inlet. Feed, hardware, fuel oil, lumber, and explosives can be purchased at Ketchikan and delivered by boat to McKenzie Inlet. By using an airplane, all small equipment and camp supplies could be using an airplane, all small equipment and camp supplies could be dropped with cargo parachutes near the mine."

Sep 1, 1946

The investigations reported herein comprise preliminary studies to evaluate large scale mining systems adaptable to the thicker oil shale deposits in the deeper central portion of the Piceance Creek Basin. The studies include an evaluation of the geology, hydrology and resources of the Basin., evaluation of a potential prototype mine site, synthesis of rock mechanics data on Green River Formation oil shale, selection and preliminary design and cost evaluation of six potential mining systems and a ranking analysis to aid in selecting the most promising system. Results of the ranking analysis indicate the following four systems to be most promising for large scale underground oil shale mining: - Chamber and pillar (using spent shale backfill) - Sublevel stoping with spent shale backfill - Sublevel stoping with full subsidence - Block caving with LHD's Recommendations for phase II are to investigate the above systems in greater detail, refine present cost data, and perform economic evaluations of oil shale mining using these systems.

Jan 1, 1975

By Kazuya Naito, Nobuyuki Okamoto, Natsumi Kamiya

JOGMEC (Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation) became the first entity to sign an exploration contract for Cobalt-rich Ferromanganese Crusts (Crusts) with the ISA (the International Seabed Authority). The contract was signed on 27 January 2014, and 15 years exclusive rights for exploration activities had started in the contracted area, located in the North-Western Pacific Ocean. JOGMEC had already conducted basic scientific surveys around the contracted area from 1987 to 2012. Activities by JOGMEC that will be undertaken during the first 5 years of the contract include examination of geological and acoustic surveys, environmental baselines surveys, and undertaking basic studies of R&D in mining, processing, and smelting technologies. Geological surveys will include analysis of rock core samples, using BMS (Benthic Multi-coring System). Deep-towed TV Camera will be used to estimate the distribution of crusts deposit and to get basic environmental data of deep-sea megabenthos. Water sampling, marine sediment sampling, and installation of mooring systems on the seafloor will also be conducted as a part of environmental surveys.

Sep 1, 2014

By C. Chapman, M. G. Reading, M. P. Amsden

Ecstall Mining Limited, a subsidiary of Texasgulf Incorporated, operates the Kidd Creek mine, a 10,000- tpd base metal producer, near Timmins, Ontario. Two different ore types are mined and milled copper-zinc and silver-lead-zinc. At the highly automated Ecstall concentrator, the ores are processed by selective flotation in three individual circuits. One of the most important metallurgical tools for process control is a sample system incorporating continuous onstream X-ray analysis. Recently this system was further automated by adding computer control of reagents for two copper-zinc flotation circuits. The computer programs, utilizing optimum seeking methods and smelter contract terms, have increased copper recovery 0.8% and zinc recovery 1.6%, and reduced reagent costs by 12%. Although not anticipated, copper and zinc concentrate grades were improved modestly as well.

Jan 1, 1973

Invensys’ recently introduced Field Device Manager for Foxboro I/A Series distributed control systems provides the industry’s first solution that takes advantage of both the latest Enhanced Electronic Device Description Language (Enhanced EDDL) and FDT technologies. This combination provides comprehensive lifecycle support to configure, calibrate, commission, diagnose and optimize the performance of any vendors’ foundation fieldbus device. The I/A Series Field Device Manager enables users to take advantage of any EDDL, Enhanced EDDL and/or FDT host deliverables supplied by the device vendor.

Jan 1, 2007

By M. Pekguleryuz, S. A. Argyropoulos

"The recovery of additions in light metals is an important parameter influencing consistency of the finished product, which ultimately means cost. Recovery is a function of many parameters such as assimilation speed, addition density, addition practice, liquid metal processing conditions, etc. In liquid metal processing operations, it is desirable to have the maximum possible recovery at the shortest possible time.In this paper a new index will be presented, namely, the rate of recovery (RR). This index quantifies the addition recovery and introduces the time dimension in the recovery increase. As such, the RR equips the liquid metal practitioner with an accurate picture of addition assimilation in liquid metals. Results will be presented on how this index is applied to a variety of additions in liquid aluminum. IntroductionThe data on addition assimilation kinetics offer a valuable parameter describing how fast a given addition enters the metal bath. These data may be expressed as gr m-2 s-1 of additive for a set of experimental conditions which might include bath temperature and degree of bath agitation among others. However, the liquid metal processing practitioner is more interested in the recovery of additions. In other words, the point of interest is the percentage of the used addition entering the metal bath. Ideally, the addition recovery can reach the 100% level. However, in practice, the addition recovery never or rarely reaches that level. Many factors can contribute to this. Some of these factors can be slow assimilation kinetics, addition density, addition practice, turbulence of the melt, etc. In some cases, sloppy addition practices can contribute to low recoveries, or even worse, to erratic recoveries.In this paper a new parameter is introduced. This parameter relates the maximum addition recovery observed over the time needed to achieve this maximum recovery."

Jan 1, 2002

By V. I. Lakshmanan

Crown ethers are gaining importance in separation technology specifically for rare earth elements (REE, La to Lu plus Y) and precious metals (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Rh and Ir) due to their specific binding ability, metal complex stability and high extraction efficiency. The selectivity of crown ethers in extraction of these metals depends on different factors, including the cavity diameter and nature of a donor atom of the crown ether, size and charge of the metal ion, diluents and counter ion. Demand for strategic REE and precious metals are consistently increasing in the world while the separation of these metals is most challenging tasks. In this paper, the use of crown ethers in separation of REE and precious metals, reaction mechanisms and simplified process flowsheets will be elucidated. New reagents with high selectivity for the separation of these metals are further expected to produce high purity metals.

By G. W. Jones

The Bureau of Mines has advocated the use of stenches as warning agents in metal mines and in gas-distribution systems since 1920 A considerable amount of research has been conducted on ethyl mercaptan and other compounds to determine their effectiveness when used for this purpose.4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/ Miners are warned of danger by a stench injected, in measured quantity, into a compressed-air line through which it is rapidly carried to the working faces, where it escapes from the compressed-air equipment and imparts a characteristic odor to the air. This method is not applicable to mines where only a limited number of com-pressed-air lines are used, as for example, many coal mines; the ventilation currents available in these mines may be too slow for warning purposes.14/

Jan 1, 1954

By R. A. Cattell

The Bureau of Mines recently observed its fortieth anniversary, and with the close of the fiscal year 1950 it completed 36 years of close cooperation with and helpfulness to the petroleum and natural-gas industries, whose technical problems it studies. Petroleum people likewise observed the ninetieth anniversary of the start of this truly American industry when "Colonel" Drake drilled the first well at Titusville, Pa., in 1859 (see fig. 1). Throughout the period, during which there have been many changes in the fuel and related economy of the country, this work has been carried on systematically by an organized entity of the Bureau first known as the Petroleum Division and in recent years as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Branch. Changes in the industries have been brought about partly by economic forces, partly by advances in technology, and in some measure by the impact of two world wars. As the needs of industry and the Nation have changed, so have the studies of the Bureau changed to meet these needs. Consistently, Bureau technologists and scientists have tried to keep in step with progressive movements; frequently, in fact, have taken the lead. Wherever possible, they have looked far ahead in their program of research, at the same time recognizing the needs of the hour.

Jan 1, 1951

South Africa?s now a member of this body, tailored on the World Bank, and headquartered in Abidjan-Cote d'Ivoire. As a funding agency for capital projects within 59 member countries of the ADB it is to be expected that there are guidelines to the requirements for funding application and for project management and control.

Jan 1, 1996

By F. Hassani, D. O’Donnell, M. Momayez, P. Guevremont

Shotcrete is a practical and economical support system in many Canadian underground mines. Although shotcrete technology has gained acceptance in the mining industry, there are some problems that have emerged with respect to quality assessment and thickness measurement of the liner. This paper presents recent tests performed with miniature seismic reflection technology (MSR) developed and patented at McGill University primarily for thickness measurement of this heterogeneous liner. MSR is also capable of providing information regarding the quality of shotcrete in terms of its mechanical properties such as modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s ratio. Work was performed on site in an underground mine in Ontario, Canada. This paper also presents the results from laboratory tests performed on fiber-reinforced and non-reinforced shotcrete panels that were used to assess the P-wave velocity in both materials. The results of these tests were used in a second site investigation. The NDT thickness measurements showed good agreement with direct thickness measurement such as coring. In addition, the MSR technology has the advantage of being more accurate and more affordable compared to other non-destructive testing (NDT) systems in the market.

Jan 1, 2002

By Vincent Menard

The purpose of the present work is to demonstrate the removal of manganese from a neutral leach zinc-rich solution ([Zn] =150 g/L) at 80°C by oxidative precipitation using a gas mixture of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and oxygen (O2). In order to determine the optimum conditions for manganese removal, several bench-scale semi-batch experiments were performed, where the effects of ORP and gas mixing were investigated. These tests showed that SO2/O2 is a fast and effective oxidant for removing manganese down to ppm level as long as the appropriate ORP is attained/maintained and gas transfer kinetics are optimized.

Jan 1, 2006

By Richard D. Miller

This publication contains routine analyses and related source data for 434 gas samples from 16 States. These samples were collected during calendar year 1961 as part of the continuous survey for the occurrence of helium in natural gas conducted by the Helium Activity of the Bureau of Mines. The analyses herein were made by mass spectrometer and Frost helium apparatus. The most important helium resource discovery made during 1961 was the Table Mesa field in San Juan County, N. Mex. This field, Which has an estimated recoverable helium reserve of 850 million cubic feet, is now supplying gas containing approximately 5.4 percent helium to the Bureau of Mines Navajo Helium Plant at Shiprock, N. Mex.

Jan 1, 1964

By Richard D. Miller

This publication contains routine analyses and related source data for 434 gas samples from 16 States. These samples were collected during calendar year 1961 as part of the continuous survey for the occurrence of helium in natural gas conducted by the Helium Activity of the Bureau of Mines. The analyses herein were made by mass spectrometer and Frost helium apparatus. The most important helium resource discovery made during 1961 was the Table Mesa field in San Juan County, N. Mex. This field, Which has an estimated recoverable helium reserve of 850 million cubic feet, is now supplying gas containing approximately 5.4 percent helium to the Bureau of Mines Navajo Helium Plant at Shiprock, N. Mex.

Jan 1, 1964

By Albert L. Toenges

The Deep River coal field is in Chatham, Lee, and Moore Counties, N. C. The coal-bearing part of the basin is about 35 miles long and 5 to 10 miles wide. Sanford, the county seat of Lee County, is the largest town in the area, with a population of 10,000. Four railroads provide transportation to the area, and four United States highways and improved county roads provide easy access to the field. The Carolina mine at Farmville is the only operating mine in the field. The mine was opened in 1921 by two rock slopes driven from the surface to the Cumnock bed. Mining operations continued intermittently until 1945 and then stopped. In the fall of 1947 the mine was reopened by the newly organized Raleigh Mining Corp.

Jan 1, 1952