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By Jeffrey M. Listak

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted field tests to evaluate the effectiveness of a wet head continuous mining machine for reducing dust exposure for continuous miner operators. Wet head technology delivers water via sprays to the continuous miner's cutter head as opposed to traditional standard sprays located on the boom and body of the mining machine. The sprays, positioned directly behind each bit on the cutter head, deliver water at the point of attack, serving to cool the bits during mining to reduce the potential for frictional ignitions. The sprays also flood the coal with water to potentially suppress dust generation. Dust surveys were conducted at several mines to evaluate the wet head's effectiveness to control respirable dust exposure at the continuous miner operator location and in the immediate return. Results show that the wet head miner improved air quality at both locations to varying degrees in some cases and not in others when compared to a continuous miner with a standard spray system.

Jan 1, 2010

By K. Saberyan

A technique is described for the solvent extraction of zirconium. In this method, zirconium has been extracted quantitatively from 0.005 M sodium salicylate solution at pH 2.5 - 3 using 0.01 M triphenylphosphine oxide dissolved in toluene as an extractant. Zirconium has also been recovered quantitatively from 0.2 M potassium thiocyanate solution, but extractions in nitric and hydrochloric acids (as media) were negligible. The resulting extracted metal ion has been stripped with sulfuric acid (0.5 M) and determined with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. This method has been applied successfully to achieve 95% recovery of zirconium from zircon concentrate.

Jan 1, 2010

Unplanned ore dilution can have severe impact on the economics of a mining operation. The paper discusses and distinguishes between controllable and natural parameters influencing ore dilution, and how it can be minimized in longitudinal mining systems of narrow vein orebodies. It is shown through data of surveyed stope profiles and numerical modelling that unplanned ore dilution is a function of stope design and construction, orebody geometry, and rock mass characteristics.

Jan 1, 2010

By Robert L. Kranz

The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) has been monitoring and studying seismic activity associated with mining in the Coeur d'Alene silver district of northern Idaho. New statistical methods of studying the stope-scale (1-to l00-m) seismicity at one Idaho silver mine are used in this report (part 1) and its companion (part 2). This report deals with methodology and its limitations. The recent concept of fractals and their seismological use is discussed and applied to mining-induced seismicity. Three types of fractal studies are addressed: spatial analyses (including temporal changes of spatial patterns), temporal analyses, and size analyses. Other statistical measures of mine seismicity are also addressed: event mean location, inter-event distance distribution skewness, temporal coefficient of variation, nearest neighbor and next event statistics, and event location planarity patterns. Each of the methodologies discussed (fractal and nonfractal) is presented using sample data from two stopes in the mine. It is shown that stope-scale, mining-associated microseismicity has a fractal nature. The usefulness of demonstrating fractality (scale invariance) for predictive or descriptive purposes depends on recognition of the factors affecting the calculation of fractal dimensions. Several methodological traps are illustrated that can lead to an incorrect conclusion.

Jan 1, 2010

By C. Y. Liu

This paper principally deals with the application of caisson foundation in the Chinese bridge building industry, the different types of caisson foundation adopted, and their spheres of application. Caisson foundation has been used and speedily developed for bridge works in New China, and a number of new innovations have been made in its design. Especially in deep water foundation, the Nanjing Bridge over Changjiang has attained one of the deepest bridge foundations in the world. There are six types of deep caisson foundation being now in use in China, namely:

Jan 1, 2010

By S. -Y. Hwang

An ongoing problem for industry in Korea is effective removal of heavy metals from and safe disposal of spent power plant fly ash. This research endeavor attempts to develop selective separation of Ni from leach liquor using a selective chemical precipitation method. The research was conducted by changing two variables, the pH and the concentration of ions in solution. The effect of other ions present in the system on the separation efficiency of Ni species was also investigated by adjusting OH and NH3 concentrations. In the pH range of 7-9, the chemical precipitation method produced a high yield of Ni by precipitation from the fly ash leach liquor.

Jan 1, 2010

By Jennifer Riefenberg

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has long recognized the hazards associated with rock burst activity in underground mines. Concern over lost lives and resources prompted this study to further characterize rock burst occurrence as related to microseismicity and mining. A period of over 1,079 days of mining with 101 bursts, where microseismicity rates and blasting were recorded, was used in this study. Statistical analyses investigated relationships between (1) rock burst occurrence versus blasting, (2) rock burst size versus damage, (3) rock burst occurrence versus average micro seismicity rates, and (4) rock burst occurrence versus local mine geometry. Statistical analyses showed that 91% of all rock bursts occur with blasting while only 3% of all rock bursts occur, apparently, independent of blasting. Additionally, the long-term average daily micro seismicity rates appear to dictate when blasting will trigger rock bursts. Time series analysis on the daily microseismicity resulted in model equations that may be used to forecast the daily microseismic activity.

Jan 1, 2010

By M. Ganster

Austria’s biggest supplier of oil and gas, transports gas through the West Austria Gasline for domestic consumption. In addition, the OMV also works as gas carrier and ensures the transit into neighbouring countries.

Jan 1, 2010

Laboratory tests were conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines to determine respirable dust reduction effectiveness of and interaction between face airflow and water sprays for a continuous miner. Increases in exhausting face ventilation from 3,000 to 9,000 cfm, in waterflow from 15 to 35 gpm, and in water nozzle operating pressure from 80 to 200 psi were evaluated. Results indicated that airflow had the greatest individual impact on reducing dust levels, with concentrations at return and operator sampling locations reduced by as much as 57% and 99%, respectively. Regression modeling was utilized to predict dust concentrations over the range of values tested for the control parameters. Interactions between the control parameters were significant and often defined an optimum level where further increases in that parameter failed to produce additional dust reductions. Increasing airflow to 8,400 cfm, waterflow to 25 gpm, and water pressure to 140 psi typically reduced dust concentrations at operator and return locations. Application of a control parameter above these levels can provide additional dust reductions if used in conjunction with appropriate levels of the other two control parameters. Otherwise, higher operator dust levels may result and can be attributed to increased rollback and/or airflow turbulence.

Jan 1, 2010

By Tapan Goswami, Brent Geoff

Mining multiple steeply sloping coal seams introduces challenges in terms of safety and productivity. Work on steeply sloping surfaces for the processes of bench preparation, mark-out, drilling, loading and blast tie-up, coal cleaning and recovery is inherently hazardous. Furthermore, a large number of mining cycles is usually necessary, as small rounds are required and each layer is separately drilled, loaded, blasted and excavated. This exposes personnel and machines to additional risks and also incurs higher unit costs of mining as machine productivity is reduced. A case study is presented of a mine in New South Wales, Australia where three coal seams are separated by layers of inter-burden rock. Due to the unfavourable sloping nature of the coal seams the conventional practice was to drill and blast each layer separately.

Jan 1, 2010

This manual is limited to Augered Cast-in-Place (ACIP) piles constructed using a hollow stem continuous flight auger. 1.1SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS The intent of this manual is to provide guidelines for observing and documenting the installation of ACIP piles. The manual may also serve as a guide for the training of inspection personnel. It is expected that the general guidelines and procedures described in this manual for the inspection and installation of ACIP piles will be supplemented by engineering judgment, local practice, and experience. ACIP pile construction procedures will vary depending on soil, rock, and groundwater conditions. This manual represents a wide range of possible applications in a variety of projects. It is not intended to be applicable in all situations nor replace engineering judgment for any given project. Therefore, an all-inclusive inspection manual is not considered practical or desirable. This manual should not be used to interpret or replace project specifications. It has, however, been prepared to complement the Augered Cast-in-Place (ACIP) Piles Manual model specification (DFI, 2003).

Jan 1, 2010

By M. Dondelinger

This paper presents a comprehensive review of steel sheet piling including internationally manufactured hot rolled sections, their history, applications, installation and driving techniques. The discussion will cover both temporary and permanent installations; temporary piling used in construction of cofferdams with various bracing systems, deep foundation installations for buildings, bridges and tunnels, etc., and permanent piling used for highway, railroad and bridge construction as well as for riverbanks, piers, wharfs and docks, normally required for port facilities. In addition, cofferdams, as self-supporting gravity structures where interlock strength is of prime importance, will be discussed. The design and application of light, intermediate and heavy sections will be presented including heavy combined walls and information on Z-shaped, U-shaped and HZ sections and their corresponding interlocks. Emphasis is placed on new developments for design applications for deep foundations and waterfront structures within the "state of the art".

Jan 1, 2010

By C. M. F. Vieira

This work has as its objective to characterize ceramic bodies for vitrified tiles elaborated with the mixture of nepheline-syenite flux and kaolinitic clay. Formulations were prepared with 0, 30 and 50 wt.% of nepheline-syenite incorporated in a kaolinitic clay. To determine the physical and mechanical properties such as dry bulk density, linear shrinkage, water absorption and flexural rupture strength, specimens were prepared by 30 MPa uniaxial pressure-molding and then fired in a laboratory furnace at 1150oC. The microstructure of the fired ceramics was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the nepheline-syenite improved the evaluated properties of the clay and attended the specifications of vitrified ceramic tiles.

Jan 1, 2010

By Ihsan Berk Tulu, Keith A. Heasley, Chris Mark

"The Analysis of Retreat l\.fining Pillar Stability (ARJ\1PS) and the Lal\.fodel programs have been used successfully in the U.S. for designing safe pillar recovery operations for many years. However, the recent Crandall Canyon l\.fine collapse showed that further research is required to improve the pillar design for recovery under deep cover. To this end, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the West Virginia University (WVU) l\.fining Engineering Department have been working together to improve both the ARJ\1PS and the Lal\.fodel programs.This paper compares and analyzes the overburden loads calculated by ARJ\1PS 2002, the new ARJ\1PS 2010, and the Lal\.fodel program with regard to the retreat pillar line, the gob, and the barrier pillars. The analysis shows a number of distinct differences between the ARJ\1PS and Lal\.fodel loading distributions. Ultimately, the programs, with their distinctive load distributions, are used to analyze a database of 52 deep cover pillar retreat case studies, and the ability of each program to discriminate between successful and unsuccessful retreat pillar plans is evaluated.INTRODUCTIONThe Analysis of Retreat l\.fining Pillar Stability (ARJ\.f PS) and the Lal\.fodel programs have been used successfully in the U.S. for designing safe pillar recovery operations for many years. However, the recent Crandall Canyon l\.fine collapse showed that further research is required to improve the pillar design for recovery under deep cover.Pillar recovery accounts for less than 10% of the coal produced from underground coal mines; however, in the period between 1989 and 1996, it accounted for more than 25% of all ground fatalities (l\.fark et al., 2003). In the past 15 years, the safety of retreat mining operations has greatly improved. l\.fark (2009) explains three steps promoted by l\1SHA and NIOSH for safer pillar recovery:1) Global stability through proper pillar design2) Local stability through proper roof support3) Worker safety through proper section managementThe ARJ\1PS and Lal\.fodel (Heasley, 1998) programs have been playing an important role in guiding mine operators in designing pillars to ensure the global stability of a retreat panel."

Jan 1, 2010

By Vincent Jue

In December 2009, the Italian High Speed Rail Network AV began running over the full 1000 km system length from Turin, at the foothills of the Alps to Salerno, on the seacoast south of the volcano Mt. Vesuvius. It runs through Alpine rivers, highly seismic active zones, mountains, river plains, and through some of the most densely populated areas in Europe as well as some of its most expensive real estate. The Italian High Speed Network?s technical/economic constraints and its regulatory/socio-environmental concerns well may mirror similar obstacles set to confront the nascent California High Speed Rail Program. The two types of constraints must be dealt with together to reach the best construction solution. It is estimated that more than 20% of Italian High Speed Rail Network costs were spent on ground engineering including over 150 km of tunnels, 200 km of viaducts and bridges and 650 km of embankments and trenches. However, it also is estimated that 25% of costs were spent on social and environmental integration of the new rail lines including over 6 square miles of green offsets, 160 km of anti-noise walls, and 300 agreements for socio-environmental work. This paper will look at four examples of innovative ground engineering solutions, each with its own intricate set of constraints: ? Foundation system for viaducts across the ?Po? and ?Ticino? rivers. ? Soil consolidation under railway embankments ? Requirement of short tunnels for physical and environmental reasons ? Construction of railway stations in a confined right of way

Jan 1, 2010

By John C. Edwards

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has constructed a smoke chamber and developed sensitivity tests for smoke detectors. Response of ionization-and optical-type commercially available smoke detectors have been investigated. Six smoke detectors were measured with respect to visually obscuring smoke characterized by a corresponding optical density for smoldering and flaming coal combustion in the smoke chamber. It was determined that for one type of ionization smoke detector the alarm time was nearly equivalent to that of an odor monitor's alarm for smoldering coal combustion experiments and earlier for flaming coal combustion experiments. The experiments showed that an average CO concentration of 5 ppm corresponded to an optical density of 0.022 m-l for smoldering and flaming coal combustion. Two of the commercially available ionization-type smoke detectors were more responsive to flaming than smoldering coal combustion at an optical density of 0.022 m-l, whereas the optical smoke detectors showed the opposite trend. The responsive characteristics of the detectors evaluated with respect to known smoke conditions in the smoke chamber shows their potential for use as mine fire sensors or part of a mine atmospheric monitoring system to improve mine safety.

Jan 1, 2010

By Robert C. Dyni

This U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) report summarizes a field demonstration of pneumatic backfilling technologies conducted at the abandoned Hillside Coal and Iron Slope in Vandling, P A. Researchers demonstrated two pneumatic backfilling technologies recently developed under the USBM's Abandoned Mine Reclamation Research Program, the Pneumatic Pipefeeder and the High-Efficiency Ejector. Both systems had previously been evaluated at the USBM's subsidence abatement investigation laboratory near Fairchance, P A. The objective of the demonstration was to fill 100% of the abandoned tunnel with backfill stone to prevent further subsidence. The Pneumatic Pipefeeder was used for 21 days, at a rate of 63 to 124 t/ d (69 to 136 st/d), to fill 88% of the tunnel. The High-Efficiency Ejector was used for 2 days, at a rate of 125 to 132 t/d (138 to 146 st/d) to fill the remaining 12% of the tunnel. The backfill placed by both systems was tightly compacted. The major problem encountered was wear on the polyethylene pipeline from the abrasion of the high-velocity backfill. The use of heavier steel pipe minimized the problem. A cost analysis for the entire project is given.

Jan 1, 2010

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 Larry A. Lien

"A brief summary of the different membrane separation options currently available to the mining industry will be presented and discussed. The processes described involve operating membrane plants on the following applications: pregnant leach solutions (PLS) in the copper and gold industries, fractionation and concentration of metals and acids in refineries, and wastewater treatments to meet state-of-the-art surface discharge criteria.Included is a specific discussion on cost savings resulting from an operating membrane treatment system of nearly 3,500 m3/hr barren water relative to the prior, conventional precipitation practice at a major heap leach gold mine. This Engineered Membrane Separation® (EMS®) plant has produced water for six years that has met all standards for direct discharge into the environment, and captures and returns to the operation valuable minerals and solvents which were not previously being extracted in the Merrill-Crowe process.INTRODUCTIONMembrane technology has been available for more than 35 years, but has been used sparingly in the mining industry. However, recent developments in polymer chemistry, spiral-wound element design and construction, water clarification pretreatment equipment and techniques, and an expanded understanding of membrane fouling and cleaning techniques have dramatically improved the reliability and robustness of membrane-based systems for potential use by the mining industry.In the past 15 years large operating plants have successfully demonstrated the use of this “new” membrane technology to include the separation of pay-metals from large-volume acid and cyanide heap leach mining solutions containing copper, zinc, gold and silver. Moreover, variations on these same membrane technologies are ideally suited to fractionations that add value to processing fluids from refineries, like separating metals from acids or concentrating acids and producing high-quality process fluids."

Jan 1, 2010

By F. P. Greyling

The aspect of sustainability of ferroalloy processes has long been a serious matter for consideration in many of the world?s industrialized countries. A number of countries can be named where ferroalloy plants that were once flourishing, have all but disappeared. One of the most important factors playing a role in this type of occurrence is the cost and availability of quality raw materials. Given that all natural resources will be depleted with time, users are compelled to develop new processes that are sustainable in the changing environment. The DC arc smelting furnace is one such process that has proved itself, and has gained increasing popularity over the past two decades. This process, amongst other benefits, directly addresses the use of more readily available and more affordable raw materials in ferroalloy production. Since early in the new millennium, GLPS has been involved in various studies for different clients of furnaces for the production of ferroalloys. Two of these recent studies have culminated in the design, construction and commissioning of DC arc furnaces for the production of ferrochrome. One of these furnaces is a 10 MW unit at Mogale Alloys, and the other a 60 MW unit at the Middelburg plant of Samancor Chrome. This paper discusses the approach taken in the design and construction of these two furnaces, which, although varying significantly in size and capacity, are very similar in many other aspects of their design. Keywords Furnace, DC arc, and ferrochrome.

Jan 1, 2010