Search Documents

By Michael von Seebach

High-pressure grinding rolls subject the feed material to pressures of 200 N/mm? During this process considerable size reduction and the Formation of flakes occur. This paper describes the basic consideration For design and operating of this type of mill. It is also shown that the particle size distribution resulting from this process is typical for grinding processes but untypical for crushing processes. High pressure grinding rolls are designed in size of up to 2.8 m roll diameter allowing feed material top sizes of 250 mm. The rigid frame, bearing and drive - train design allows a broad application of the high-pressure grinding rolls operating the machine in open or semi-closed and closed circuit for dry and moist feed materials. Operating results show that capacity increases of up to 100 % can be accomplished with this technology. The high-pressure grinding roll also, allows for lower operating and maintenance costs due to energy savings of up to 20 L and reduction of wear to less than 1 76 for dry and less than 0.1 5 for wet grinding. Other advantages of the high-pressure grinding rolls are smaller equipment sizes than a ball or SAG-mill for a given capacity resulting in lower building sizes with reduced capital in- vestment costs.

Jan 1, 1987

Strainburst phenomena, generally characterized by a sudden release of energy in a volume of highly stressed rock, are often encountered in such situations like crown pillar bursts in cut-and-fill mining, face bursts at development headings and floor bursts in deep shaft sinking. This paper describes a simple FE modeling approach which leads to the calculation of the energy release rate (ERR) and the total energy storage rate (TESR) in the rock mass around the openings. The merits of using such energy parameters in the analysis of strainburst problems to identify areas of high energy release/storage are discussed. However, much site-specific back analyses are needed to better understand how strainbursts and energy parameters are inter-related.

Jan 1, 1998

Almost all of the world?s zirconium is mined in the form of zircon (ZrSiO4), the majority as a coproduct of titanium mining from heavy mineral sands deposits. These are placer type deposits, in which the dominant mineral is silica but which also contain a suite of ?valuable minerals,? often consisting of a mixture of titanium minerals, various alumino-silicates and zircon plus a range of other mineral species. The composition of the valuable minerals in such deposits is known as the mineral assemblage. There is no reasonable consistent geological relationship between zircon and titanium minerals. They can derive from separate igneous rock deposits that rarely occur together. The connection emanates once these separate rocks have been eroded by weather and water, often across a very long geological period. Once this has happened, zircon and titanium minerals often find their way to the same locations because they share two major characteristics:

Jan 1, 2011

By M. A. Trevits, G. Frampton

"Mine safety training materials have long included pictures of mine conditions, equipment, hazards, etc. These images are invaluable to both the trainee and the trainer to convey many important concepts. The human eye takes in a tremendous amount of information, while the field-of-view from a consumer grade camera is, generally, 40 degrees to 90-degrees. This difference in field-of-view is a primary reason that pictures, especially of dark and dusty areas, don’t adequately describe the scene. For conveying information to a trainee, these images lack context. Today, 360-degree cameras are available with consumer-grade cameras costing a few hundred dollars. Also, the display technology is already owned by most trainees and trainers and is widely available. The resulting 360-degree videos and pictures can be readily viewed on smart phones and inserted into Microsoft PowerPoint slideshows. These images and videos can easily be included in existing training modules, disseminated using the internet, and used by trainees easily. We propose a methodology for utilization of 360-degree video and images with simple display technology for miner training. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND In mining, as in other production-related industries, the safety of workers is dependent upon many interrelated factors. One of the more important safety factors is a miner's ability to recognize hazards in their workplace. The ability to perceive and identify hazards is perhaps more difficult to master in underground mining than in general industry because the work environment is confined, noisy, dark, and inherently dangerous because of the hidden unknowns created by the geological setting and the conditions created by the mine opening. Further complicating the situation is a setting that is continuously changing as mining advances (Barrett 1995) [1]. Hours of excellent mine safety training have been developed and utilized over the years. Pictures of mines, activities, hazards, etc., are included in many of these training courses. These photographs, especially those taken underground, often lack context because of the limitations of the cameras and lenses. Notable research by the US Bureau of Mines and then later by NIOSH showed that the use of stereoscopic three-dimensional slides in training exercises was an effective aid for improving the ability of miners to recognize hazardous ground control conditions (Barrett 1988) [2]. An example of type of three-dimensional slides and slide viewer is shown in figure 1."

Jan 1, 2018

By H. Do

In flotation, hydrophobic particles are selectively collected by air bubbles, and the bubble-particle aggregates enter the froth phase. However, less hydrophobic particles drop off from the froth phase, while more hydrophobic particles are recovered. Thus, the froth phase provides an important cleaning mechanism. In the present communication, the froth-phase recovery process has been modeled by considering particle retention times and the carrying capacities of bubbles. The model predictions are compared with the experimental data reported by Seaman et al. (2006). The results show that the froth-phase recovery varies with particle size, particle hydrophobicity, and bubble coarsening.

Jan 1, 2008

By T. P. Meloy

Riffles on a shaking table have a major effect on particle separation. This effect is modeled in a spreadsheet.

Jan 1, 1993

"The profile of the respondents was that of a professional responsible for communications, community relations or corporate social responsibility programs. By targeting a consistent professional profile it was possible to ensure that most respondents had a similar degree of responsibility and/or decision-making ability related to the application of communication technologies. The research attempted to be inclusive and attention was paid to interview respondents from both genders and from indigenous groups.4, 5 A codebook of 80 themes was developed that highlighted recurring topics; for example, codes were created to identify risks, benefits, policies and learning process of using social media and included topics that were repeatedly emphasized by respondents (i.e. age, efficiency and language). Both manifest coding (i.e. coding of the visible content, such as specific words) and latent coding (i.e. coding of underlying meanings) was undertaken (Creswell [13]). The codes were used in the qualitative analysis using ATLAS.ti software and network views were created to illustrate the relationship between major themes of this research. There are limitations to this research, largely related to the changing nature of the Internet and communication technologies. There is also a geographic limitation to the application of this research because most of the data was gathered primarily from Canadian sources.6 Different levels of Internet penetration, or limited access to computers or mobile devices, and low literacy rates may reduce the applicability of the research in countries with low Internet penetration. A more systematic process to selecting candidates may have helped bring balance to the final list of interview respondents. For example, most of the corporate respondents were from medium and large companies and there was not adequate representation of small mineral exploration companies. The research did not probe into social media applications by different business groups within the mining sector, such as smelting and processing."

Jan 1, 2011

By A. T. Yu, K. A. Young, Ronald M. Hays, Sanford Terry, D. R. Campbell, J. K. Lovrien, W. L. Price, C. W. Matthews, W. R. van Slyke, S. P. Cole

Storage and transport systems are essential for mineral processing. Section 10 includes systems for storage and transport of dry bulk materials, slurries, and water necessary for operation of mineral pro¬cessing plants. All aspects of these systems are presented, including material characteristics; dry material placement in and reclamation from storage stockpiles and bins; dry material conveyance; hydraulics (liquid flow and pumping); slurry characteristics; slurry storage and reclaim, slurry flow (distributors, launders, and pipes), and pumping; water (primary and secondary process, reclaimed, fire, cooling, and domestic) supply, transport, and storage; equipment selection and sizing; power transmission; controls; and health and safety. The mate¬rials considered include crude ore; process and other water supplies; initial, intermediate; and final in-plant materials; finished materials; and tailings and other waste products. Section 10 is a compilation of practical operating data for engineers, technicians, and plant opera¬tors. For the design of mineral processing plants, including selection and sizing of equipment, the design engineer should consult with equipment manufacturers, suppliers, engineering firms, and plant op¬erators with specialized experience in particular materials handling methods. When unusual conditions are encountered, actual pilot or full scale testing may be required to insure adequate design. Operation of mineral processing plants is dependent on the proper engineering and construction of storage and transport systems for dry bulk materials, slurries, and water. It is obvious that processing plants cannot produce the required quantities of semifinished and finished products unless these material can be transported adequately to, through, within, and from the plant. Costs of storage and transport systems may exceed 50% of the total capital and/or operating costs. Considerable attention must be given to the design, layout, and engineering of these systems. These systems are interrelated with the mineral processing method and it is necessary to determine the best combination of mineral processing method and storage and transport systems. Storage and transport systems perform a major supportive func¬tion to mineral processing. The final selection of these systems depends on the final selection of the processing method and related systems (environmental control, tailings and waste disposal, etc.). The process¬ing method determines the characteristics of materials to be stored and transported; distances, elevations, flow rates for transport; and storage requirements. Flowsheet After selection of the processing method and related systems, a flowsheet must be developed. This flowsheet should indicate produc¬tion rate, percent solids or moisture, and specific gravity for all initial, intermediate, and final products or product flow streams. It also may be necessary to know the size analysis, chemical analysis, abrasiveness, and other physical characteristics of various product flow streams. The flowsheet provides basic information for plant layout, storage requirements, and selection and sizing of process and transport equip¬ment. Storage and transport systems often function improperly be¬ cause of inadequate flowsheet data or process revisions, resulting in improper equipment selection and sizing. Further details on plant design are presented in Section 33. After selection and sizing of process equipment, it is necessary to select the type of material transport equipment to be used for in¬plant materials handling as well as crude ore, tailings, and final prod¬ucts. The storage and/or surge requirements, including capacity and location, then are determined. Storage and/or surge capacity is neces¬sary for leveling production rate fluctuations due to variations in material characteristics; production scheduling; equipment mismatch¬ing, failure, or breakdown; and scheduled maintenance downtime. Variations in ore grindability will cause fluctuations in throughput or production rate for grinding mills and variations in ore grade will cause fluctuations in production rate for concentrating equipment. Variations in material moisture content and percent solids can have serious effects on the capacity of material transport equipment. In some cases, a blending system may be desirable or necessary to reduce variations and to obtain uniform production and/or metallurgy. Storage capacity often is needed because of different production schedules for various phases of the mining and mineral processing complex. As an example, the mine and coarse crushing plant may operate on a one- or two-shift-per-day schedule while the fine crushing plant and concentrator on a three-shift-per-day schedule. This would require storage between the coarse and fine crushing plants. Another example would be load-out storage where unit trains are used to haul concentrate or final products. The concentrator could be operated on a three-shift-per-day schedule while only I to 2 hr may be scheduled for unit train loading. This would require adequate load-out storage so that the concentrator can be operated continuously. Process equipment with mismatched capacities requires storage or surge capacity between the mismatched equipment to achieve oper¬ating efficiency. As an example, the fine crushers may have greater capacity than the rod mills. Storage between the fine crushers and the rod mills permits both the crushers and rod mills to be operated at optimum capacity with the crushers actually operating or running a lesser number of hours per day. Mismatched capacities for process and transport equipment also may require storage or surge capacity. Mismatching of equipment capacities most often occurs because of the difficulty in equipment sizing. Thus, the design engineer must anticipate where in the flowsheet these mismatching capacities are likely to occur while making every effort to assure that equipment is selected and sized properly. Equipment breakdown can cause major operating difficulties and lost production. These breakdowns can be reduced with adequate scheduled maintenance. Lost production due to nonscheduled down¬time caused by equipment breakdown can be reduced further by standby equipment and storage and/or surge capacity ahead of essen¬tial mechanical and electrical equipment. As an example, standby pumps and conveyors often are available as part of the in-plant trans¬port system. Storage and/or surge bins and tanks often serve dual functions, such as dewatering, mixing, and smoothing production rate fluctuations.

Jan 1, 1985

By E. McCullough, S. Gaillard

"Diesel particulate matter (DPM) has been regulated by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration since 2002 in underground metal and nonmetal mines. To demonstrate regulatory compliance, DPM samples must be collected and later analyzed by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 5040 standard method, but the FLIR Airtec DPM monitor can serve as a complementary engineering tool. The monitor is a handheld instrument that offers near-real-time measurements of elemental carbon (EC), which is a primary constituent of DPM. As part of an ongoing field study, the monitor was used to survey EC in an underground stone mine. This effort was aimed at determining spatial and temporal DPM variations in several key locations. The results of prolonged area monitoring—that is, lasting several hours — revealed that DPM concentrations were diluted substantially as air moved away from the primary production zone, but that concentrations could vary quite a bit in a single location from day to day and between seasons. DPM concentrations were generally lower in winter than in summer, which is consistent with increased natural ventilation airflows during winter. Using a modified sampling cassette, an attempt was also made to sensitize the Airtec monitor to allow for “spot-checking” of EC concentrations — that is, measurements made in several minutes. Preliminary field data showed that the sensitive cassette performed well in terms of providing accurate data that could be useful for rapid assessment of DPM. IntroductionDiesel particulate matter (DPM) is the solid fraction of the exhaust emissions from a diesel engine. It largely consists of elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) (Birch, 2003). The World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer classified diesel exhaust, including DPM, as a carcinogen (World Health Organization, 2012). It is believed to cause and/or exacerbate respiratory illness upon inhalation, deposition and retention in lung tissue. Because DPM exists in both the micro- and nanoparticulate ranges, it can bypass typical autoimmune defense mechanisms that keep larger particles out of the respiratory system (Ristovski et al., 2012)."

Dec 1, 2016

By John E. Kinnison

The Mission mine, located in southern Arizona near Tucson, is a recently developed open pit which produces 15,000 tons per day of copper ore. The mine lies on a wide and gently sloping bajada sweeping northeasterly from the Sierrita mountains. It derives its name from the nearby Mission San Xavier del Bac, built circa 1700. The ore body is everywhere covered by about 200 feet of alluvium, as are the adjacent Pima and Palo Verde mines. The geology of the Mission deposit is known principally through the study of diamond drill holes spaced 150 to 300 feet apart. The open pit is in an infant stage and has not yet revealed much of the deposit, although information obtained there by the operating staff, and from a few thousand feet of exploratory underground workings, has added significantly to the general fund of knowledge. Permission to publish was granted by the American Smelting and Refining Company. I am indebted to Kenyon Richard and J. H. Courtright for criticism of this paper and for their direction during the several years in which I studied the Mission deposit. Acknowledgment is given to consultant in petrography, Robert L. DuBois of the University of Arizona. The only previous publication pertaining directly to the geology of file Mission deposit appeared in 1959 (Richard and Courtright), and may not be everywhere readily available. Cooper (1960) has published a short paper on the district

Jan 1, 1963

By P. M. Hawley

In April 1975 Kaiser Steel Corporation and the United States' Department of Energy entered into a cost-sharing agreement for the demonstration of shield-type longwall supports on three consecutive longwall panels at Kaiser's York Canyon' Mine in New Mexico. Under this agreement the Department of Energy supplied 117 Hemscheidt 320 HSL caliper-type shield supports and hydraulic pumps for the duration of the demonstration. The purpose of the demonstration was to educate the U.S. coal mining industry as to the benefits in production, productivity, health and safety, and increased coal extraction afforded by shield-type longwall mining systems and to provide the industry with a working model. A detailed description of this demonstration is given in U.S. Department of Energy Publication No. DOE/ET/12530-T1, entitled "Demonstration of Shield-Type Longwall Supports at York Canyon Mine of Kaiser Steel Corporation," hereafter referred to as the York Canyon Report.

Jan 1, 1984

By Paul G. Schmidt

The Crandon massive sulfide deposit Forest County, Wisconsin, was discovered by Exxon Minerals Company, U.S.A., in July 1975. Announced estimated in-place reserves are 62 M metric tons (70 million short tons), grading about 5% zinc and 1% copper. The reserves are evenly divided between massive sulfide are and stringer sulfide ore. The sulfide body is associated with Precambrian felsic pyroclastic rocks, and it is overlain by intermediate volcanic rocks and their derived sedimentary rocks. These rocks were subjected to greenschist facies metamorphism and were tilted to a near-vertical attitude. Geologic observations indicate a submarine-volcanic-exhalative origin for this deposit.

Jan 1, 1978

By G. A. Doyle

The quality of water in mine pit lakes depends in part on the physical limnology, including such factors as thermal and chemical stratification, turnover and the development of anoxic conditions with depth. Limnologic data collected from four existing pit lakes in Montana and Saskatchewan indicate that pit lakes develop a thermocline (temperature stratification) in the upper 10 to 30 m (33 to 100 ft) of the water column. Two o f the pit lakes, 26- and 55-m (85 and 180 ft) deep, undergo seasonal turnover of the entire water column, whereas two deeper, pit lakes, 110 and 240-m (360- to 790 ft) deep, undergo seasonal turnover of only the upper portion of the water column. In the deeper lakes, seasonal mixing does not extend through the entire water column, and a distinct chemocline develops with depth.

Jan 1, 1997

By R. P. Stahura

In many ways, conveyors are the lifeline of mining and processing operations. Like arteries in the human body, they continuously supply materials to and carry finished products and waste away from vital on-going operations. And like arteries, when the conveyors are running with less than maximum efficiency and productivity, it spells serious trouble for the operation's overall health. Inefficient conveyors suffer carryback, leading to the build-up of materials on idlers and other expensive components. They spill and leak material at loading zones and conveyor transfer points, causing accumulations that can damage the belt, wear moving components, and increase both clean-up labor and maintenance expense. They wander or mistrack, spilling material and endangering personnel and conveyor components including the belt itself. And through these inefficiencies, they multiply the operation's hidden costs. These added expenses are created in lost production, increased downtime for service and maintenance, and the cost of the replacement of prematurely worn equipment. In addition, the attitude that inefficiency is "good enough" is recognized elsewhere in the organization; as a result, other departments relax or operate at less than peak performance. Quality goes down and with it employee morale.

Jan 1, 1992

By Leon D. Keller

Hydraulic concentration of minerals has been practiced for a good many years. Until recently, however, the practice has been limited to a multiplicity of small pockets and relatively low tonnages and flows. The adaptation of the SiphonSizer to the concentration and classification of magnetite has changed this concept. Some fifty commercial units are currently in operation on magnetite, varying in size from 16 ft diameter circular unit to a 25 ft by 100 ft rectangular unit. Additional units up to 38 ft diameter are under construction. Depending upon the application in the flowsheet, upgrading-varies from 0.75% to 14% Fe in a single stage. To those not familiar with taconite processing, the importance of the struggle to economically remove as much silica as possible may not be fully appreciated. These figures pertaining only to transportation may be thought-provoking. If a 10,000,000 ton per year plant could reduce the silica content of their concentrate by 17, a savings in boat freight alone would amount to 100,000 tons at $2.00 per ton annually.

Jan 1, 1963

By B. A. Kuyper

The Cove gold-silver deposit is located 50 km southwest of Battle Mountain, Nevada and 1.5 km northeast of the McCoy Mine. Total proven and probable reserves are 48.7 Mt (53.7 Mst) with an average grade of 1.85 g/t (0.054 oz/st) Au and 87.1 g/t (2.54 oz/st) Ag. Mineralization is hosted by Triassic carbonate and siliciclastic rocks in two separate orebodies. Oxide ore consists of disseminated gold and silver in clay-altered, manganese-flooded limestone. Sulfide ore is dominated by pyrite-sphalerite-galena veins in siliciclastic rocks and sandy dolomite. Gold and silver occur in the native state, associated with the base metal sulfides. Mineralization is interpreted to be the distal expression of a porphyry system. The McCoy gold (copper) deposit is interpreted to be the proximal expression of the same system.

Jan 1, 1991

By T. J. Close

On September 10, 1991, Secretary of the Department of Interior Manuel Lujan deleted the Silver Peak Range North Wilderness Study Area from the list of U.S. Bureau of Land Management lands in Nevada to be considered for wilderness designation. This decision was based in part on the U.S. Bureau of Mines mineral investigation of the wilderness study area which found that it has indications of precious metals resources. The following is a summary of the results of that mineral investigation. The study area lies between the Silver Peak and Dyer mining districts of west-central Nevada. The Silver Peak mining district, to the east, has a long mining history dating back to 1907 when precious-metals-bearing veins were discovered. The major producer in the Silver Peak district was Sunshine Mining Company's Sixteen-to-One silver mine. During the Bureau's study the Sixteen-to-One mine was operating; it has since been idled due to low silver prices. Precious metals-bearing veins were discovered in the Dyer district, to the west of the study area, in the 1860's. Mineral activity in Dyer district consisted mainly of prospecting. The Silver Peak study area itself has no mining history and contains only a few mining claims, but the Bureau examined 13 mineralized sites, most previously unknown and unclaimed. These sites are along two zones that cross the study area from the Silver Peak to the Dyer mining district. The two zones transect a volcanic center of fractured and altered rocks that contain epithermal veins of quartz, calcite, and jasperoid with gold, silver, and base metals. At the surface these veins are poorly defined and poorly mineralized. The more than forty veins examined in the study area are as thick as 17 feet and as long as 1,000 feet. Samples from surface exposures of these veins contained as much as 0.02 ounce per ton gold, 2.1 ounces per ton silver, 1.0 percent copper, 2.6 percent lead, and 0.4 percent zinc. Analyses of the Bureau data disclosed no vein large enough or of high enough grade to be classified a mineral resource. However, most do have indications of silver-and gold-bearing resources at depth. Subsurface exploration had to be done on the vein at the Sixteen-to-One mine to outline reserves (a vein averaging about 22 feet thick and containing 6-to 7-ounces per ton silver); the same is true of veins in the Silver Peak Range North Wilderness Study Area.

Jan 1, 1993

By Luis Fernandez-Deza, James Hawn, Dustin Mount, Jean-Marc Wehrli

The RiverRenew Tunnel System project in Alexandria, VA forms part of a CSO scheme aimed at reducing overflows of combined stormwater and sewage into the Potomac River during storm events. A major piece of the project is a 12-foot internal diameter tunnel of approximately 12,000 feet length lined with a single-pass precast concrete segmental liner and excavated by an Earth-Pressure Balanced Shield TBM. The tunnel lies between 120 to 140 feet below grade in the clays of the Upper Potomac Formation with occasional dips of more granular, saturated soils of the Terrace Formation and the Alluvium. The TBM is launched from a figure-8 configuration Pumping/Screening Shaft located within AlexRenew’s operational Water Resource Recovery Facility. This paper discusses the challenges encountered during the launch of the TBM in short mode within a highly congested site and from narrow deep shafts.

Jun 13, 2023

By Kenneth R. Hancock

The importance of "Mineral Pigments" can best be shown by noting that the world production is estimated to be in excess of 47 billion kilograms (52 million st). This quantity if pack- aged in the common 22.6 Kg (50 Lb.) bag and placed end to end would circle the world over 500 times. This world production figure is based on a broad concept that pigments, extenders, and fillers have essentially similar functions. In this paper mineral pigments are products produced synthetically or from selected minerals and through pulverization have characteristics of pigments.

Jan 1, 1985

By Myron W. Mellor

Our efforts at McNally, to find a better way to mechanically separate particles from liquid in a slurry have led to the development of two new centrifuges. The first unit utilizes a slotted opening screen as the filter media and retains all plus 200 Mesh and most of the 200 by 300 Mesh particles. The second unit is a solid bowl centrifuge with a novel method of removing the solids and delivers an effluent containing as little as 300 PPM solids in suspension. The first unit was designed to separate particles in the range of about 1 MM x 0 or smaller top size from the liquid slurry and produce solids having low surface moisture content, and a liquid concentrate containing a low percentage of solids. A prototype of this unit has been in the field undergoing tests for over two years. A few of these test results are shown in Tables I & 11. Testing has been mostly limited to the field of coal, how- ever this does not mean that the machine would accept only coal slurries. The machine has produced a dewatered product having as low as 5.5% surface moisture, and an effluent containing as low as 1.4% solids and handled slurries containing from 15 to 50% solids by weight.

Jan 1, 1975