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By E. H. Wells, A. Andreas

Greater progress than in any previous year was accomplished by the oil industry in New Mexico in 1936. The total number of completions in the state was 631, of which 549 were oil wells, 21 were hydrocarbon gas wells, three were carbon dioxide gas wells, and 58 were dry holes. The total oil production for the year was 26,804,446 bbl. Compared with the production for 1935 of 20,228,947 bbl., this represented a gain of 32.5 per cent. Of the total production, 25,337,382 bbl. came from Lea County. The average daily nonmarginal well allowable for that county was 115 bbl. the first of the year and 86 bbl. at the close. Production was regulated by the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission,

Jan 1, 1937

By F. J. N. Bruwer, T. R. Stacey

The research described considers whether the variability in coal material strength, as derived through a series of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) tests, could be used to indicate the variability in coal pillar strength. The aim is to be able to use a distribution of UCS tests as input into the coal pillar strength calculation. This will allow the pillar design to be expressed in terms of a probability of failure rather than as the commonly used safety factor. To achieve this, the bulk strength factor associated with commonly used pillar strength formulae was replaced with a distribution of UCS results divided by an adjustment factor. The factor was determined so as to ensure that the resulting bulk strength does not deviate from the statistically determined bulk strength published in the original formulae. This approach enabled pillar strength distributions to be obtained using industry-accepted strength formulae, subsequently allowing for a probability of failure to be calculated for a specific pillar design. Using a regional coal material strength curve as a baseline, coalfields in which the coal is stronger than the regional mean can be identified and the pillar designs optimized. This is based on the stronger coals achieving lower probabilities of failure at similar safety factors. The research has considered actual UCS data from multiple mines in the Mpumalanga coalfields of South Africa, and has proved that the variability in material strength between coalfields could allow for some optimization using the proposed approach. Based on the data used in the study, a 2.78% increase in extraction could be achieved. However, further research will be required to validate the results of the study in an underground environment.

May 3, 2023

By JESSICA W. A. AZURE, Samuel Frimpong, AZUPURI G. A. KABA, FORSYTH A. KADINGDI, PROSPER E. A. AYAWAH

This study developed machine learning (ML) models for predicting rock formation reactive forces experienced by a hydraulic shovel bucket during excavation. To do this, rock formation in the form of muckpile was modeled as granular ball elements in three-dimensional particle flow code (PFC) using linear bonding logic. A typical field-size hydraulic shovel bucket modelled in AutoCAD was used to excavate the rock formation and the three-dimensional shovel bucket resistive forces required to cut through the rock formation were measured and recorded. The experiments involved different muckpile height, bulk densities, repose angles, and average fragment size. Six ML algorithms, artificial neural network (ANN), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), linear, random forest (RF), regression tree (RT), and support vector machine (SVM), were evaluated on their ability to predict the shovel bucket resistive forces. The input variables used for the prediction of the resistive forces were the muckpile bulk density, angle of repose, height, and fragment size. The results showed that the ML techniques are useful and reliable methods of predicting rock formation resistive forces based on the rock formation properties. This research is a preliminary step towards developing reliable models for accurate prediction of excavation forces/torques which could potentially enhance hydraulic shovel process automation.

Sep 27, 2021

By NEHA PANDEY, Sunil Kumar Tripathy, ARIJIT BISWAS

Due to the growing market of Electric Vehicles (EVs), there is a rise in battery demand. Nickel can be used as a potential element in cathode for lithium-ion batteries. Nickel can provide thermal stability, high energy density, and conductivity in cathodes of lithium-ion batteries. Low-grade chromite overburden from Sukinda mines contains less than 1 wt% of nickel, which can be utilized to extract nickel. Recovery of nickel from such low-grade overburden can help in value addition. The present study provides deeper insight into the aspects of extraction of nickel product derivatives (NPDs), mainly mixed hydroxide product (MHP), through the hydrometallurgical route. The current study focuses on extracting nickel and cobalt from a mine overburden with 0.41% nickel with major silicate gangue. MHP can be processed further for nickel sulfate production, a potential raw material for cathodes in EV batteries. The study discusses a process flowsheet to recover nickel and cobalt from overburden through atmospheric leaching with pre-calcination. It is observed that the step of pre-calcination improves the effective recovery of nickel from overburden. The leaching reactions are effective at a temperature of 90 °C and 1 atmosphere pressure. The orthophosphoric acid was used as a lixiviant for the selective recovery of nickel and cobalt from overburden. Recovery of nickel and cobalt obtained at optimum conditions is 84.0% and 39.9%, respectively. The iron impurity in the leachate solution is 1.27%. It is concluded that the process with pre-calcination along with acid leaching is effective for extracting nickel and cobalt at atmospheric pressure.

Dec 28, 2023

By Richard S. Fowkes

This Bureau of Mines report describes the Human Factors in Mining Search System (HFMSS), a computerized information retrieval system that provides relevant human factors information from journal articles, research reports, seminars, conferences, etc. in terms of 19 mining-related categories. It is the only existing data base that stresses all of the areas of human factors as applied to mining. Examples of these categories are biomechanics and work physiology, human error and human reliability, work design and task analysis, manual materials handling and back injuries, hand tools, organizational and management practices, psychological factors, and training. Although the emphasis is on literature dealing directly with mining, applicable material from other areas of research is included for those categories in which little research has been done in mining. Each record in HFMSS can be recalled by any field such as title, author, date, source, descriptive terms or key words, as well as by any words found in an abstract that describes the purpose, procedure, and results of the research. This report describes HFMSS fields and subject categories, the annotated bibliography, user's manual, and thesaurus of key words. Example printouts in both brief and full formats are included as an appendix.

Jan 1, 1990

By Paul M. Tyler

According to Lindgren , the economic importance of pegmatites stems from the fact that they represent the principal natural storehouse of two classes of mineral products : (1 ) common minerals in exceptional size and purity and ( 2 ) several of the rarest minerals , which are not commercially available from other types of deposits . Most pegmatites can be described simply as coarse- to very coarsegrained granites . Pegmatite includes coarse -textured igneous rocks of any composition , such as syenitic , alkali syenitic , dioritic , or gabbroitic ; but basic pegmatites are far less common than those that are associated with acid rocks and correspond approximately to the mineral composition of ordinary granite . Moreover , only a very few basic pegmatites can be considered as economic sources of useful minerals . Whereas , in ordinary granitic rocks the individual minerals usually measure 1/8 to 1/4 inch across , in pegmatites they are characteristically over 1 inch and often more than 12 inches in diameter . Although some of the constituents of the pegmatite may be only a fraction of an inch in length , single crystals more than 10 feet long are by no means unusual , and some crystals are enormous . A whole quarry was operated in the Urals within a single crystal of feldspar . Huge quartz crystals are quite common although usually imperfect . Muscovite plates 10 feet in diameter have been mined in India , and the Purdy mica mine in Canada contained a mica crystal measuring 6.5 by 9.5 feet and weighing nearly 7 tons , which supplied more than $20,000 worth of trimmed mica sheet . A loglike crystal of spodumene in the Etta mine in the Black Hills of South Dakota was 42 feet long . Giant crystals of beryl weighing several tons apiece have been mined from several properties . Because so many rare minerals are found in substantial concentration only in pegmatites , it is a common fallacy to suppose that pegmatites are always enriched in rare elements . Traces of most of these elements , of course , are found in almost all igneous rocks , and they reappear in the sediments derived from igneous rocks . It does not follow , however , that all or even most pegmatites contain higher percentages of rare elements than other granitic rocks . Geological evidence points to the probability that notable concentrations of rarer minerals or elements in pegmatites are more or less fortuituous , such additions often being ascribed to events subsequent to the original emplacement of the main body of the pegmatite . Most pegmatites consist principally of potash , feldspar , and quartz . Even mica , although commonly present , is not an essential constituent . Probably

Feb 1, 1950

By J. P. Powell

The increased costs of exploration and drilling of new oil fields and the continued success of water flooding in nearly depleted oil fields have created a demand for information on the results obtained from individual projects. The Bureau of Mines has published several reports concerning water-flood activity in the Mid continent area and at the request of the industry has continued to collect and disseminate this information. This report was written in response to these requests. It describes in detail the water-flooding projects in Anderson, Franklin, Linn, and Miami Counties, Kans., and includes methods of water treating and the results obtained. The production histories of each county and many water-flood projects are shown graphically from the date of the first development. Maps of most of the major projects, showing their status as of January 1, 1953 are presented also. The practice of injecting water to stimulate oil production was legalized in Kansas in 1935, and the first water-flooding project authorized in this four-county area was initiated by the Texas Co. in December 1935 in Linn County, Forty-nine projects2/ initiated in the area to January 1953 are estimated to have recovered approximately 10 million barrels of oil that could not have been produced by methods used previously. About 7,900 productive acres had been, or are, flooded by these projects, and approximately 1.36 million barrels of water had been injected.

Jan 1, 1953

By Alessandra Savazzini dos Reis

A crescente preocupação em relação às áreas de proteção ambiental e ao alto consumo de argila, matéria-prima da cerâmica vermelha, ocasiona a indisponibilização progressiva de reservas de argilas no Brasil. Com isso, vê-se a necessidade de incorporar resíduos na massa argilosa para confecção de produtos de cerâmica vermelha. A indústria de cerâmica vermelha brasileira consome cerca de 10 milhões de toneladas de argila ao mês para produção de telhas e blocos. Na própria olaria são gerados resíduos, tal como, o resíduo de massa cerâmica crua originado na etapa de conformação das peças. Este trabalho visa incorporar o resíduo de massa cerâmica crua na massa argilosa usada em cerâmica vermelha. O resíduo foi caracterizado por meio de ensaios de FRX, DRX, limites de Atterberg e distribuição de tamanho de partículas. Corpos de prova feitos com massa argilosa e resíduo em teores variando de 10% a 90% (massa) foram conformados, secos à 110ºC, queimados à 900ºC em forno industrial e submetidos a ensaios de absorção de água, porosidade aparente, massa específica aparente e resistência à compressão. Os resultados evidenciaram que as propriedades cerâmicas avaliadas nos corpos de prova da massa argilosa incorporada com o resíduo atendem aos valores das argilas-padrão brasileiras para cerâmica vermelha.

Aug 17, 2017

By E Widzyk-Capehart, T Bednarz, O Daud, N Cutmore

The interest of industry, in particular future mining, is pointing towards the use of novel visualisation systems to improve the operational efficiency of user interfaces. While the technologies used to enhance operators’ experience are advancing, the implementation of novel visualisation paradigms within mining operations is trailing behind other industries, particularly health and aviation. In this work, we present a number of initiatives and use cases of immersive virtual and augmented reality systems that can fit within the mining context. These ideas represent a step towards new platforms that might increase the efficiency and safety of mining operations through applications such as 3D panoramic video monitoring technology with annotated information coming from big data analytics and visual analytics processing engines. However, while the technologies are used in a variety of training settings, their application in the working environment is lagging behind. This paper presents examples of scientific visualisations that could be applied in a mining context to extend the possibilities of operators’ cognitive abilities and working efficiency. They are intended to foster a discussion within the mining community to move beyond the training realm and into the operational environment.CITATION:Bednarz, T, Widzyk-Capehart, E, Daud, O and Cutmore, N, 2015. Effective immersive visualisation systems for mining applications and beyond, in Proceedings Third International Future Mining Conference, pp 31–36 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 4, 2015

By I M. Platten, S C. Dominy

The Clogau St DavidÆs gold mine has a recorded production of around 81 000 oz Au and it is the largest mine in the Dolgellau gold-belt and BritainÆs most prolific historical producer. The original mine was first worked for copper, however; in 1854, gold was found in waste material from the St DavidÆs section. In recent times the mine has operated intermittently between 1983 - 2007. The principal black shale-hosted gold-bearing reef (Main Reef) can be traced for about 3 km, striking approximately NE-SW and dipping steeply between 60¦ - 90¦ SE. The reef system pinches and swells, changes strike and splits into a number of smaller branches. Reef width is variable, ranging from over 6 m to a few cm and in places reducing to small irregular blobs. The reef is internally complex and composed of swarms of narrow (1 - 300 mm) subparallel veins separated by country rock sheets. The gold-bearing veins within the reef package are discontinuous; though generally possess bonanza grades running 10s - 100s oz/t Au. It has historically been shown that some gold-rich vein segments can grade up to 300 oz/t Au. The predictability of the gold-rich segments is poor, but has been shown to be related to presence of the Clogau (black shale) Formation, and/or the mechanical interactions of the reef with greenstone sills, reef branching and splitting and/or cross-fractures to form ore shoots. The mine is currently being re-evaluated as a potential small-scale selective operation.CITATION:Dominy, S C and Platten, I M, 2012. Geology, mineralisation and potential of the Clogau St DavidÆs mine, Dolgellau gold-belt, Gwynedd, Wales, in Proceedings Narrow Vein Mining 2012 , pp 101-120 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Mar 26, 2012

By Steve Kral

Americans are taking a more critical view of various environmental laws because the effects of those laws are becoming more pervasive and intrusive, according to William Perry Pendley. And Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt is seemingly so unpopular in the West, he no longer campaigns there for Clinton Administration policies. Pendley is president and chief legal officer of the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a public service, non-profit law association that takes on property rights cases for people who cannot afford representation. He was one of the luncheon speakers at the 101st Northwest Mining Association meeting, held in Spokane, WA in early December.

Jan 1, 1996

By Claude A. Tongish

This Federal Bureau of Mines report presents information on the accumulation and distribution of helium in U.S. natural gas reservoirs. The investigation concerns the relationship or association of helium with geographic location, geologic age, reservoir depth, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and argon. Although helium is a minor constituent in natural gas, these data show that certain conditions make some reservoirs statistically more favorable than others for the accumulation of helium. The report is based on gas analysis information collected-by the Bureau from 1917 to 1974 from 10,086 gas samples, representing 6,455 reservoirs in 35 States. The occurrence of helium in the reservoirs was 11.5 percent with less than 0.005 percent of helium, 70.9 percent with 0.005 through 0.29 per-cent of helium, and 17.6 percent with 0.30 percent or more of helium in the gas. Results of the various correlations are presented in tables and charts. Relationships have also been determined quantitatively by measures of correlation. The statistical data can be used to determine the environment under which reservoirs with high-helium contents are most likely to occur. These data can be used with other information for predicting the future helium resources of the United States.

Jan 1, 1980

By John J. Mulligan

The creeks draining Cape Mountain, on the western tip of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, comprise the Cape Mountain tin-placer district. Because of the war-caused shortage of tin, the Bureau of Mines in 1943 conducted a churn-drill placer reconnaissance to explore the district. Favorable indications were found, and plans were made for further investigation of the deposits; the plans were abandoned when tin again became plentiful. In July 1951 the Zenda Gold Mining Co. was granted a Defense Minerals Administration (Defense Minerals Exploration Administration after October 1951) loan to continue exploration of the more favorable areas indicated by results of the Bureau's investigation. Equipment was moved to the area in the fall and winter of 1951-52. During the 1952 field season, 209 churn-drill holes totaling 7,521 linear feet and 10 test shafts totaling 96 linear feet were sunk on the Cape Creek drainage. Work was resumed in 1953, when 56 churn-drill holes totaling 3,157 linear feet were drilled on Boulder Creek. The company planned to drill Goodwin Gulch and Goodwin Creek, but no further work was done owing to lack of capital.

Jan 1, 1959

By Ari Jokilaakso, Junjie Shi, Zhuo Chen, Pekka Taskinen, Xiang Gao

The amount of copper flash smelting slag has increased during the recent years along with an increasing slag-to-metal ratio. During slag tapping, some copper sulfide is mechanically entrained. As a result, it is necessary to recover copper matte from the slag by suitable methods. At present, the most common way is slow, controlled cooling in a transfer ladle. However, research on the detailed effects of slow cooling and the function of slag modification is rare. This paper described experiments that were performed at different cooling rates (0.5, 1.5, 3, and 7 °C/min), with and without additive. A detailed characterization of the copper-rich phase and its particle size was subsequentlymade using SEM-EDSmicrographs and image analysis software.With a decrease in cooling rate, the particle size of the copper-rich matte phase became larger. The addition of gypsum and carbon as a slag modifier affected the size of the copper-rich phase slightly, and its chemical composition was modified compared with the experiments without additive.

Jul 31, 2020

1. Book reviews Geophysical and geochemical techniques for exploration of hydrocarbons and minerals, edited by M. Sittig. (Reviewer: J. Keenan) Separation procedures in inorganic analysis. A practical handbook, by Roland S. Young. Charles Griffin, 1980. £23.00. (Reviewer: R. Murray-Smith) 2. Historical reprints Theinin~rs dictionary, by William Hooson. £14. Discovery of subterraneal treasure, by Gabriel Plattes. £12. Fodinae Regales (The Mines Royal), by Sir John Pettus. 3. De Beers' booklets Amborite - a remarkable new cutting material, by De Beers Industrial Diamond Division (P.O. Box 916, Johannesburg 2000). Booklet, 14 pp., free of charge. Natural and synthetic micron powders, by De Becrs Industrial Diamond Division (P.O. Box 916, Johannesburg 2000). Leaflet, 5 pp., free of charge. 4. New books Nickel in the environment, edited by J. O. Nriagu. New York, Wiley, 1980.928 pp. $65. Underwater minerals, by D. S. Cronan. London, Academic Press, 1980. 364 pp. $57.50. Data conversion integrated circuits, edited by D. Dooley. New York, Wiley, 1980.298 pp. $26.95 (cloth), $17.50 (paper). 5. NIM reports Report 2057 A mineralogical study of the Rooibokkop- Boschhoek copper deposit in the Marble Hall area. Report 2069 A utomatic setting of the distance between sample and detector in gamma-ray spectroscopy. Report 2070 The prereduction of chromites from the UG-2 Reef. Report 2075 The optimization of some of the conditions for analysis by spark-source mass spectrometry. Report 2082 A survey of the literature on gravity separation.

Jan 1, 1981

By Edgar Roque, Edwin Cereceda

El presente trabajo pone en evidencia las ventajas de emplear el método de explotación por Bench and Fill, en lo que respecta a costos y rentabilidades. Dada la importancia de atender al control de la dilución y fragmentación tomando en consideración las variables generadas en la voladura, este artículo explica a los planificadores de minería —antes de diseñar, perforar y cargar un bloque de producción— cómo predecir y optimizar los efectos de la voladura en los costos de operación evaluando el comportamiento del macizo rocoso y zonificando los niveles a minar.

Apr 30, 2019

By Robin J. Hickson

El Abra has mining concessions granting the right to exploit minerals in more than 130 km2 (32,122 acres). SCM El Abra owns “rights to occupy” the surface of these claims. The company also owns the surface rights over the process plant area and over land conveyor route. The project has procured all material easements relating to the mine area, processing facilities and access rights of way. Engineering, procurement and construction Figure 1 sets out the development and construction schedule for the project. Development is already well under way. As of early January 1996, about 70% of the project was complete and more than 80% of the capital expenditures were committed.

Jan 1, 1996

By Arthur E. Wells

"The present and possible future commercial production of potash from various sources in the United Status is discussed below under the following heads:1. Potash from the saline lakes.(a) Nebraska lakes.(b) California lakes.(c) Other lakes.2. Potash as by-product from the cement kilns.3. Potash as by-product from the iron blast furnace.4. Potash from silicate rocks.(a) Feldspathic material.(b) Leucite rocks of Wyoming..(c) Sericite slates of Georgia.(d) Glauconite (greensand) of New Jersey.5. Potash from Alunite.6. Potash from organic sources other than kelp.7. Potash from kelp.In this discussion very little more than passing reference, if any, will be given to those projects which up to date have been developed only slightly, if at all, beyond the small scale laboratory stage, or for the development of which there appears to be very little financial and technical backing at the present time. Nether or not many of these proposed projects have merit can be determined only by an actual operating demonstration.Generally speaking, the potash industry of the United States has been hardly more than marking time since the armistice. This is, largely due to the fact that the consumers of potash have been expecting that heavy shipments of foreign potash to the United States would be resumed soon at somewhere near the pre-war prices, and they have not seen owing domestic potash at present prices for many months. The result has been that domestic producers have been unable to sell their product at even cost and many producers of potash have been obliged to close down. Thu Nebraska lake plants were closed down in February. The California saline plants were operating at below capacity, and the only large alunite plant is closed down. Even the cement plants have little or no inducements to recover the potash being lost in their waste gases and the production is very small at present.This condition will doubtless continue until a definite policy is decided upon as to the future importation of potash salts from Germany and. France. If unrestricted importation is allowed at prices even 50% greater than in 1913, only a very few, if any, of the domestic projects will be in position to compete with the foreign potash immediately, and the present industry will probably greatly decline with little or no prospect for a future resumption of the industry."

Aug 1, 1919

By G M. Jones, J Rademan

Debswana, owned by the Government of the Republic of Botswana (GRB) and De Beers in a 50:50 joint venture partnership, operates the Jwaneng diamond mine in Botswana - the most valuable diamond mine in the world. The mine provides between 60 - 70 per cent of DebswanaÆs earnings, and about 30 - 40 per cent of the GRBÆs income. In 2008, the company embarked on the Cut 8 Project - an open pit waste cut-back to expose more diamond bearing ore to sustain mine life by another six to seven years. This undertaking was much larger than previous cut-backs; it increased the waste stripping ratio threefold, increasing significantly the waste handling fleet of trucks, shovels and infrastructure, and impacted a large part of the materials handling plant which required replacement with new facilities. The project coincided with the beginning of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and a slowdown in the economy. Its $4 billion total life cost was billed as æthe largest private investment project in BotswanaÆ which produced heightened expectations amongst stakeholders that it would redress some of the issues brought about by the GFC and leave behind a legacy of jobs, increased opportunities for citizen owned business and improved social infrastructure.Most of the big project challenges were non-technical and ranged from dealing with various stakeholders?at?all levels, a 25 per cent currency depreciation of the Botswana Pula against the South African Rand, obtaining work permits for non-citizens in a job starved environment, managing construction to world class safety standards, managing the low productivity of construction workers and producing a viable legacy program that satisfied the GRB and stakeholders. Whilst most of these risks were identified in front end studies, the magnitudes were in many instances underestimated. Managing this uncertainty on Cut 8 can provide valuable lessons to other projects in a similar environment, or at least provide the information to indicate that these factors should be adequately provided for in the financial evaluation of a project in the form of budget, schedule, contingency or risk mitigation.CITATION:Jones, G M and J Rademan, 2012. Reliability of expert judgements and uncertainty assessments, in Proceedings Project Evaluation 2012 , pp 109-116 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 24, 2012

By Adam Moore, Ryan Gillespie, Jarrett Quinn, Audrey Walters, Peter Radziszewski

"Vale Long Harbour Processing Plant (LHPP) was designed to process Voisey’s Bay nickel concentrate into finished nickel and associated copper and cobalt products. The plant includes a secondary grinding circuit comprising two Stirred Media Detritors (SMDs) operating in parallel. The ultrafine grinding circuit was designed to process concentrate at a rate of 33 t/h and produce a ground product (P80) of 20 µm to feed the leach circuits. Start-up of the grinding circuit at LHPP was undertaken in December 2014.The objective of this paper will be to describe the design, commissioning, start-up and performance of the secondary grinding circuit with a focus on the two Metso SMD-355-C mills. Following a brief overview of Vale’s LHPP and the SMD technology, the paper will review the design of the SMD secondary grinding circuit from lab tests through to scale-up performance prediction. This will be followed by the results of circuit commissioning outlining some of the issues raised and addressed after which SMD performance will be outlined. Specifically, the SMD circuit grinding performance will be examined since start-up which will include the effect of media size and wear on grinding. Furthermore, impeller wear will be examined by determining initial “shear volume” and worn “shear volume” as well as its effect on mill power and the means to maintain it. The paper closes with a discussion on grinding performance."

Jan 1, 2016