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By Aleksandar D. Bugarski

Three types of uncatalyzed diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems, three types of high-temperature disposable filter elements (DFEs), and one diesel oxidation catalytic converter (DOC) were evaluated in underground mine conditions for their effects on the concentrations and size distributions of diesel aerosols. Those effects were compared with the effects of a standard muffler. The experimental work was conducted directly in an underground environment using a unique diesel laboratory developed in an underground experimental mine. The DPF systems reduced total mass of aerosols in the mine air approximately 10-fold for light-load and 20-fold or more for high-load test conditions. The DFEs offered similar reductions in aerosol mass concentrations. The efficiency of the new DFEs significantly increased with accumulation of operating time and buildup of diesel particulate matter in the porous structure of the filter elements. A single laundering process did not exhibit substantial effects on performance of the filter element. The effectiveness of DPFs and DFEs in removing aerosols by number was strongly influenced by engine operating mode. The concentrations of nucleation mode aerosols in the mine air were found to be substantially higher for both DPFs and DFEs when the engine was operated at high-load modes than at low-load modes. The effects of the DOC on mass and number concentrations of aerosols in mine air were relatively minor when compared to those of the DPF and DFE systems.

Jan 1, 2009

By Arnold R. Pasieka, George V. Sotirow

"The object of this paper is to outline a computerized net cash flow approach for practical cutoff grade determinations. A cutoff grade carries not only geological but also economic value, in which costs are balanced against revenues. For different situations, cutoff grades are a 'standard of value' that are determined for the purpose of classifying economic or uneconomic mineral reserves in a specified time frame. In a constantly changing technical and economic environment, the decision to develop or maintain a mining operation at its best economic potential, requires an appropriate cutoff grade strategy, a strategy consistent with short- and long-term operational and corporate objectives and one based on realistic marketing and metal prices forecasts. The use of a project evaluation computer program, in combination with specific corporate net cash flow requirements, shows the most promising and flexible team approach for cutoff grade optimization.IntroductionThe recent recession has had a devastating effect on the Canadian mining industry. Exploration and mining R&D expenditures have been critically reduced and now are believed to be below healthy levels. Ore reserves, mine life and cutoff grades are careening in several directions because of low base metal prices, relatively high costs and sensitive precious metal prices.These conditions demand an improved understanding of the terms ""ore"" and ""cutoff grades"" as they are applied to the planning process and day-to-day operations. ""Ore"" or 'ore reserves"" is a dynamic concept, reflecting a cumulative effect of changes in geological, technical and economic conditions in terms of material which can be mined at a potential profit. By contrast, if economics are not the primary consideration, the term ""mineral reserve"" or ""mineral inventory"" should be used to describe the mineral deposit. For different situations, cutoff grade is ""a standard of value"" determined for the purpose of classifying mineral reserves as economic or uneconomic in a specified time frame. The question of mining at average reserve grade or low-grade material during high metal prices is of paramount importance for cutoff grade strategy."

Jan 1, 1985

By William H. Tavenner

1. The 1952 Annual Report of the West Virginia Department of Mines lists nine beds that arc being mined in Logan County, of which the Cedar Grove and Chilton are the most important. The Cedar Grove group, No. 2 Gas, and Alma beds have the largest remaining reserves, in the order given. 2. Known measured and indicated reserves in all beds, based on a minimum thickness of 14 inches and 1,800 short tons per acre-foot of coal in place, are estimated at 5,411 million tons as of January 1, 1954. Of this total, 3,939 million tons is in beds 28 inches and more thick. Areas in each bed were omitted from the estimate because available data relative to the bed characteristics were too meager for making an estimate that conforms with the definitions of measured and indicated coal adopted for this study. Should future drilling or development prove reserves in these areas, such reserves should be added to the total estimate reserves.

Jan 1, 1956

By Lyman File

This paper discusses the overall challenges to construct a two-lane highway tunnel located in southwestern Colorado on U.S. Highway 160 for the Colorado Department of Transportation by the Kiewit Western Company. The purpose of this project is to provide the excavation and temporary support for a highway tunnel 280 m (916 feet) long. The tunnel cross section is 14.3 m (47 feet) wide by 8.5 m (28 feet) high, 105 m2 (1,130 SF).Construction methods include conventional drill and blast excavation with rockbolt and shotcrete ground support. This unique tunnel is being constructed under alpine tunnelling conditions and in the immediate vicinity of active highway traffic.

Jan 1, 2003

By Mayo D. Hersey

This problem was taken up by the Bureau of Mines as a result of the oxygen explosion at the Jefferson Physical Laboratory of Harvard University , and other similar explosions , in order to supply technical information which would serve as a basis for safety precautions in the future . At the Harvard inquiry the fact was emphasized by the Massachusetts State Chemist , Mr. Walter M. Wedger , that we do not know the limiting pressures and temperatures above which compressed oxygen and lubricating oil are capable of spontaneous explosion . The problem is also of importance to the Army and Navy and to the Bureau of Mines in connection with the hazards incurred in the use of compressed and liquified gases in the repurification of helium. In fact , the risk of fires and explosions due to traces of lubricating oil coming into contact with high pressure oxygen is of serious interest to all concerned with the manufacture and use of oxygen , a commodity which is now being produced and distributed on a rapidly increasing scale . Part of the money expended on this investigation was from Army and Navy funds . The problem was undertaken by the Bureau of Mines at the suggestion of Dr. Charles E. Munroe , Chairman of the Committee on Explosives Investigations of the National Research Council , and referred to the Pittsburgh experiment station of the bureau.

Jul 1, 1923

By P. L. Swanson, A. T. Iannacchione, W. J. Gale

This paper outlines the concepts used to correlate rock failure with microseismic events and presents examples of microseismic monitoring together with associated computer modelling of the rock failure. This study is motivated by the need to develop improved ways to reduce ground control hazards in underground mining. Toward this end we present and compare results from numerical modelling and micro- seismic monitoring studies conducted at several different mine sites. Emphasis is on integrating results obtained with these tools to characterize, and thus increase our understanding of, important mine deformation processes. The ultimate goal is to use this knowledge to design mine structures, and develop mitigation measures, that minimize specific ground control hazards.

By S. S. Wang

Dialkyldithiophosphinates are a new class of flotation collectors for base metal sulfide ores. Structurally, they are quite different from the conventional collectors such as mercaptans, xanthates, thionocarbamates and dithiophosphates. Collectors Structures [Mercaptans R-SHS Xanthates R-OCS-M+ Thionocarbamates R-OCNH-R Dithiophosphates 2 R-CCNH-R' Dithiophosphinates (R) 2-PS-M+ ] In the above structural formula, R and R' stand for a hydrocarbon radical, and M+ is an alkali metal or ammonium cation.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. H. E. Jeffes, C. Diaz

The heat balance and chemical equilibria involved in the production of blister copper from a chalcopyrite concentrate in a single operation are examined. It appears that two stages—one oxidising and one reducing—will be required. The analysis indicates that on thermal grounds the process is possible with a dry, high-grade chalcopyrite concentrate, if oxygen enrichment to about 30 per cent is used, but that copper losses in the slag will be serious and will require a secondary recovery operation. More extensive data on the activities of copper oxide in slags are required to elucidate this point more effectively

Dec 1, 1971

By Atinuke Oladoye, David Esezobor

"Particulate Copper Silicon carbide (Cu-SiCp) composites find application as wear and heat resistant materials in electrical sliding contacts such as in homopolar machines, railway overhead current collector systems where high electrical/thermal conductivity combined with good wear properties is required. However, challenges occur during machining due to the presence of hard reinforcement in the matrix. This may lead to high turnover of tool wear and poor surface finish. The adoption of near-net shape technology to produce such hard-to-machine metal matrix composites and subsequent finish machining with its attendant cost has reported limited success. This paper critically appraises the challenges and opportunities in the improvement of tribological characteristics of particulate Cu-SiC composites and identifies low cost reinforcement material that could be used to improve its tribological characteristics.IntroductionTribology consideration is increasingly becoming a decisive factor in the design and selection of materials for applications involving interacting surfaces in relative motion. The consideration is mainly on the combined effects of friction and lubrication on material's wear integrity and performance amongst other. Annual losses due to tribology in the US industries are estimated at between 1-2% of the Gross National Income [1], in Russia it is about 1-4% of the GDP [2]. Thus, the attributes of tribology has become imperative in modem machinery especially those applications involving sliding and rolling surfaces, and electrical contacts [3- 8].These are readily found in homopolar machines, internal combustion engines, aircraft engines, gears, cams, seals and railway overhead current collector systems [9-12]. In these systems, the dissipation of frictional heat arising from the interacting surfaces as quickly as possible imposes constraints on the choice of materials for such application to prevent softening, plastic and shear flow and the transfer of metal as wear debris onto the interacting surfaces. If these possibilities occur, system performance is compromised and premature failure may result. Materials for these systems are expected to possess high electrical and thermal conductivities, low coefficient of thermal expansion, good corrosion resistance and high melting point [3-8, 13]."

Jan 1, 2011

By Paul C. Turner

In 1998, approximately 57,000 tons of titanium metal was consumed in the form of mill products (1). Only about 5% of the 4 million tons of titanium minerals consumed each year is used to produce titanium metal, with the remainder primarily used to produce titanium dioxide pigment. Titanium metal production is primarily based on the direct chlorination of rutile to produce titanium tetrachloride, which is then reduced to metal using the Kroll magnesium reduction process. The use of titanium is tied to its high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. Aerospace is the largest application for titanium, and titanium cost has prevented its use in non-aerospace applications including the automotive and heavy vehicle industries.

Jan 1, 2001

"This paper challenges the traditional notion that mine planners need to plan production so as to incur the lowest mining cost. For a given mine configuration, a mine that increases its mining rate will incur increased mining costs. In an environment in which operations are fixated on cost reduction, a proposal that increases costs will not be readily accepted. Such a proposal requires financial justification—the increase in costs might be recuperated by the additional production. This paper evaluates the net present value (NPV) across a range of copper prices for two underground orebodies located at different depths, using a production rate of 300 kt per quarter and a scenario that introduces additional equipment and costs for 450 kt per quarter. The evaluation was based on the changes of NPV for the orebody located at a shallow depth compared with the orebody at a greater depth. Discrete event simulation combined with mixed integer programming was used for analysis. Unlike traditional sensitivity analysis, this study re-optimizes the mine plan for each commodity price at each production rate. The results show that, for the low mining rate at the final copper price, an NPV of A$1530.64 million is achieved, whereas an NPV of A$1537.59 million is achieved at a higher mining rate. Even though pushing mining rates beyond traditional limits may increase mining costs, this option may be beneficial at certain commodity prices, particularly when prices are elevated. IntroductionA traditional notion among mine planners is that mining rates should be planned in such a way as to reduce production costs. This concept generally relates to the mining rate that results in the highest machine utilization for the selected equipment. Although an existing mine may consider increasing its mining rate by adding equipment to a given mine configuration, this typically increases mining costs. In an environment in which operations are fixated on cost reduction, a proposal to increase costs may be very difficult to argue for. The value of the mine plan is well recognized as varying with the mining rate for a given orebody (Smith, 1997)"

Jan 1, 2017

By Alexander M. Gow

This paper summarizes a survey of fine-grinding practice in ore-concentrating plants throughout the United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba as reported in the Bureau of Mines Information Circulars on milling methods. The survey covers 49 concentrators, which have a combined capacity of over 160,000 tons per day. In these plants 470 ball, rod, and pebble mills prepare material for flotation, gravity concentration, amalgamation, cyanidation, and air separation. The ores are those of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, feldspar, and pyrite. The metallurgy is that of the period 1928-32. Of these 49 concentrators, 36 are in the United States. They can treat 134,400 tons per day, and they have 326 fine-grinding mills. In the United States there are about 100 active or temporarily idle concentrators, exclusive of the many plants in the Tri-State zinc district, the washeries of the Lake Superior iron ranges and the Florida phosphate area, and small gold and silver concentrators. These 100 plants have an estimated capacity of 290,000 tons per day and employ about 650 ball, rod, and pebble mills. Consequently, since this paper covers about half of the production of this country it may be considered as particularly representative of fine grinding in ore mills in the United States.

Jan 1, 1933

By Donald G. Rogich

The concept of initiating a large action-oriented contract, directed toward inherently safe mining systems, was conceived by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in January 1970. At that time we were in the process of establishing research contracts and grants, about 100 of which were let in FY 71 to deal individually with fairly specific technological areas. These projects in the aggregate covered a wide spectrum of health and safety problems. What appeared to be necessary was the creation of a project or program that would provide a focal point for the demonstration of many of the results of this research and also in the action sense culminate with working hardware and systems that could be tested and demonstrated over a fairly long teen. The concept of working demonstrable systems, rather than just a conceptual study, was, felt to be necessary for two significant reasons. In the development of any new system, the translation from concept to working hardware is usually a costly and time consuming process which acts as a deterrent to implementation. Secondly, many decisions in the mining community to change equipment or systems ,are based on first hand observation of the new system, in operational practice, an attitude which is certainly understandable in view of the high capital costs of equipment. The decision was made to procure a single R&D contract which would be aimed at developing underground coal mining systems which

Jan 1, 1972

By O. Jerez, A. Novoselov, L. Gutiérrez, J. Morales, U. Kelm

"In Chile, the evaluation to reprocess tailings for elements other than the traditional Cu, Mo, Au, and Ag, as well as projects to implement long-term monitoring of mining residue sites are key elements of the government’s roadmap laid out for the mining industry for the next two decades. Characterization routines for tailings and mining residues in general have to be adapted from traditional ore and gangue mineral and micro-chemical studies. This contribution summarizes key aspects for the regional mining industry for a basic characterization of tailings with emphasis on small- to medium-size operations with limited in-house facilities and funds to carry out extensive characterization programs. The oldest tailings in Chile were deposited almost a century ago; this fact gives importance to the recovery of past ore /gangue feed information, process circuits and changes (e.g. acid to alkaline flotation), process water provenance and recovery, meteorological registers, and routines of filling a tailings impoundment. Basic characterization should include X-ray fluorescence spectrometry combined with laser diffraction (LD) granulometry followed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy (OM) and automated mineral analysis (AMA) on a reduced set of samples identified by hierarchical cluster analysis. For this detailed stage, only coarse tailings are recommended for direct a study by microscopy and automated mineralogy (P80 >100 µm); for fine tailings (P80 ~30 µm) a combination of XRD and deposit type adapted sequential extraction are more informative options. In particular, for XRD of clay phases, losses of crystallinity may result in deviation of spectra from standard reference phases due to prolonged storage. To monitor surface alteration, scanning electron microscopy can be complemented by Raman spectroscopy to detect residual reagents on mineral surfaces. For reactivity modeling BET measurements are essential."

Jan 1, 2018

By M. S. Celik, H. Du, J. D. Miller, F. Cheng, O. Ozdemir

"In this paper, recent progress with respect to the flotation chemistry of soluble salt minerals is reviewed, and some of the more relevant issues including the hydration states of ions, the interfacial phenomena of salt surfaces and the flotation behavior of selected soluble salts are discussed. Due to the high solubility, the flotation of most soluble salts has to be carried out in their saturated brines. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that the hydration states of the ions have significant influence on the physicochemical properties of the solutions, the surface charge and wetting characteristics of the minerals, the collector adsorption states and, further, the flotation behavior of the soluble salts. In this regard, reviewing past research findings, efforts are made to establish a correlation between the ion hydration states with the flotation behavior of the soluble salts. Further, advances in understanding the significance of colloid adsorption involved in the soluble salt flotation process are addressed, and future research efforts to understand the soluble salt flotation chemistry are suggested.IntroductionSoluble salt minerals are essential raw materials for the production of a variety of commodities, fertilizers, potassium hydroxide, soda ash, magnesium compounds and other chemicals. These soluble mineral resources can be processed using flotation technology and, currently, more than 80% percent of the world’s potash is produced by the selective flotation of KCl crystals (sylvite) from other salt crystals, predominately NaCl (halite) and other more complex salts (Searls, 1990). Despite the successful application of flotation technology in the potash industry, the mechanisms for collector adsorption on soluble salts have not yet been fully understood and, therefore, have been of considerable interest to flotation researchers for many decades."

Jan 1, 2015

By T. Bui

The shut-off value for a panel cave mine determines when a draw point will be shut-off and mining will cease from that draw point. Using a shut-off value strategy for a panel cave mine is similar to using a cut-off value strategy for an open-pit mine. This paper will discuss how to choose an appropriate shut-off value strategy that an engineer can use when planning a panel cave mine to increase the net present value (NPV) of the project. Using a shut-off value equal to the mining and processing cost will provide the total mining reserves for a panel cave mine given a specified footprint. When the net present value analysis method is used to compare one design to another then using a shut-off value greater than the mining and processing cost will generate a higher NPV. This strategy will replace the marginal ore at the top of a draw column with higher grade ore at the bottom of newly opened draw points. A draw column is broken material which sits above a draw point and it is mined to a specified height above the draw point. This height is called the height of draw (HOD). Varying the shut-off value over the life of the mine can increase the NPV even further. This strategy would have a high shut-off value during the early stages of a mine and low shut-off value during the later stages. If the shut-off value is too high then too many tonnes would be left behind the draw point and the overall value of the mine will be decreased. Also with a high shut-off value then the production target may not be maintained due to too many draw points closing too soon.

Feb 23, 2014

By Henrique Dias Gatti Turrer

O projeto Minas-Rio da Anglo American iniciou suas operações em agosto de 2014 e tem capacidade para produção de 26,5 milhões de toneladas naturais por ano de pellet feed. O sistema contempla a exploração e concentração da jazida localizada no município de Conceição do Mato Dentro (MG), bombeamento do concentrado por 529 km até o município de São João da Barra (RJ), onde ocorrem a filtragem, estocagem e embarque do produto final através de navios. Desde a concepção do projeto até os dias de hoje, diversos estudos foram realizados objetivando-se entender o comportamento das diferentes litologias de minérios nas etapas de processamento mineral. Desses, os mais relevantes focaram nas duas principais litologias do depósito: o itabirito resultante da intemperização da matriz (IF) e o próprio saprólito (IT). Os principais pontos de investigação foram o comportamento dos mesmos perante as etapas de cominuição e concentração. O objetivo desse trabalho é apresentar uma revisão bibliográfica das diversas comparações de desempenho perante a cominuição dessas duas litologias. Além disso, são apresentados e discutidos resultados inéditos do desempenho na flotação quando concentrado separadamente ou como uma mistura. Os resultados disponíveis na literatura mostram que, ao contrário do que se imagina, o itabirito natural não apresenta consumo energético significativamente maior nas etapas de cominuição. Os testes de flotação, por sua vez, mostraram que o desempenho é diferenciado, em função do grau de liberação dos mesmos.

Aug 16, 2017

By R. B. Porter

Bench-scale tests were performed by the Federal Bureau of Mines on lignite and subbituminous coal at pressures to 1,000 p.s.i.g. (pounds per square inch gage) in atmospheres of hydrogen or nitrogen to obtain information concerning the influence of pressure on carbonization of normally noncaking coals. The distribution of gaseous, liquid, and solid products as a function of processing pressure was determined. Except for special experiments, the carbonization was at 940° F. In a hydrogen atmosphere above 400 p.s.i.g., agglomeration of the solid residue (especially with lignite) became noticeable and increased directly with the processing pressure. Although in some instances the solid particles fused together, the mechanical strength of the agglomerate was always low. On the basis of visual inspection, the coals agglomerated in the following order of decreasing intensity: (1) Steam-dried lignite; (2) lignite; and (3) subbituminous coal. Addition of lignite tar in quantities to 25 percent by weight of charge did not increase agglomeration or change the carbonization characteristics of the coal.

Jan 1, 1961

By Serdar Aktaş, Özgün Küçükoğlu, Burcu Nilgün Çetiner, Mehmet Hakan Morcalı

This study compares the cementation performance of metallic iron, metallic aluminum, and metallic tin in terms of the reaction conditions and parameters in synthetic antimony chloride solutions. The effects on the antimony recovery (%) caused by the cementators’ types, stirring speed, reaction time, and temperatures were explored thoroughly. The cementation kinetics of antimony were also explored for each cementator. The activation energies were determined to be 10.99, 9.09, and 13.58 kJ mol– 1 for Al, Fe, and Sn, respectively. The results reveal that the reaction is diffusion controlled, and comparable results were obtained for each cementator. At 25 °C, 40 mg of iron powder was found to reduce all antimony ions (i.e., approx. 99% recovery), but even when 100 mg of Al and Sn cementators were used, the antimony recovery did not reach 100%. This result shows that iron is the best candidate to cement antimony out of the solution.

Jan 28, 2022

By J. R. Odekirk

The nature of mineral distributions and locking characteristics in mill products are important factors in understanding mill performance. Such data are obtained by microscopic point counting methods. Reduction 'of point-count data from volume to weight percentages, and reduction of data for each size fraction back to a head sample requires lengthy hand calculations. The use of computer processing for such data reduction results in obtaining information on a realistic time basis. An example of computer processed point-count data is presented.

Jan 1, 1981