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By John E. Miller

Supercompressibility factors, Fpv, were derived from experimental compressibility data for five helium-nitrogen mixtures containing from 50 to 100 pct helium. These Fpv values are required as volumetric correction factors for or if ice meter measurement of "crude helium" (helium-nitrogen) purchased by the Government in a program of helium conservation. Although compressibility measurements were made by the Burnett method (2)3 - for pressures from 100 to 3,400 psia and temperatures from 40° to 100° F, Fpv values were needed only for pressures from 400 to 2,000 psia. Consequently, values at increments of 2° F, 2 pct helium, and 10 psia were tabulated only for the required pressure range. Values for pressures outside this range can be calculated from information shown in the tables. Values for the second, third, and fourth coefficients in the equation Z = 1 + BP + CP2 + DP3 are also included.

Jan 1, 1963

By G. E. Agar, W. B. Kipkie, R. A. Tenbergen

"This paper describes the successful pilot plant testing of a flowsheet, developed at Inca Ltd.&apos;s J. Roy Gordon Research Laboratory (JRGRL), for improved separation of the constituent minerals in a bulk copper-nickel concentrate.The flowsheet utilized the fact that xanthate concentration on the mineral surfaces is the most important variable affecting the high lime separation and that reduction of the xanthate concentration could be affected by an oxidative conditioning stage.When the adsorbed xanthate was reduced to a suitably low level, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite could be floated to leave a high-grade nickel concentrate as the residue. Sodium cyanide was added to the froth product 10 depress pyrrhotite and any remaining pentlandite. The temporary depression of chalcopyrite by the sodium cyanide was overcome by introducing a conditioning step following cyanide addition . The advantages of the flowsheet; improved copper-nickel separation, operation without heating of the pulp, production of both high-grade nickel concentrate (29.5% Ni, .26% Cu) and copper concentrate (<0.5% Ni, 30% Cu) were all realized.IntroductionLaboratory test work undertaken at Inco and described previously(1) has demonstrated the importance of low xanthate concentrations on the mineral surfaces in the copper-nickel separation at the Copper Cliff mill.It was determined that oxidation of the separator feed (a cleaned bulk concentrate, grading about 11% Cu and 11% Ni) to lower the xanthate concentration on the mineral surfaces prior to separation significantly improved the quality of the separation (CI 4)*, particularly when no cyanide is used, but also when cyanide is added. As well, it was found that the oxidation permitted a pentlandite-pyrrhotite separation - the oxidation step brought about a decrease in the flotation-rate of pentlandite leaving pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite largely unaffected. Consequently, it was possible to produce a highgrade pentlandite product (30% Ni, 0.3% Cu) at ~83% Ni recovery , as well as a high-grade copper concentrate (0.5% Ni, 30% Cu at -96% Cu recovery)."

Jan 1, 1985

By AIME AIME

FIVE days, extending from Monday, Feb. 18 to Friday, Feb. 22, inclusive, will be required for the annual meeting this year. The first fours days will be devoted to reading and discussion of papers, general and committee business meetings, two lectures, luncheons, dinners and all the pleasures of a big, general reunion. The fifth day will be given over to an all-day excursion for both men and women by special train to West Point, in celebration of the birthday of the first President of the United States. Washington having been an engineer and now after one hundred and thirty-one years the country having selected as President another engineer in the person of Herbert Hoover, our own past president and honorary member, it is proposed to celebrate with a good old-fashioned picnic and inspect the school. The authorities at the Military Academy have undertaken to welcome the engineers and do whatever they may to make our pilgrimage notable. Other social features planned for the week are numerous. Luncheon will be served as usual at the building each day of the meeting to all members and guests. This year a very nominal charge will be made, primarily to overcome deficits due to irregular attendance. Monday noon, the Non-metallic Minerals Committee will lunch at the Engineers&apos; Club and in the evening the Milling Methods Committee will dine there. The Annual Smoker will be held at Hotel Astor after dinner. Professional entertainment of high order is promised, but not too much to interfere with the numerous group reunions that characterize this func- tion.

Jan 1, 1929

By A. E. Halim, J. F. Brune

The 2006 Sago, Darby, and Aracoma mine disasters in the United States (US) forced the US government to implement the 2006 MINER Act and additional regulations that require all US underground coal mines to install and maintain refuge chambers to manage entrapment emergencies, in particular, fires and explosions. However, there is a debate on whether barricading in refuge chambers is a good strategy to survive such emergencies. Australian coal mines are not required to use refuge chambers and, instead, have adopted a strategy that focuses on instructing and training miners to self-escape to the surface. This paper analyzes merits and problems of using refuge chambers and self-escape to the surface to manage emergencies in fires or explosions in an underground coal mine. The authors found that the use of refuge chambers may not be the best strategy during extensive fires or when multiple explosions happen. In these situations, mine rescuers are unlikely able to extract miners who are sheltered in chambers and conversely, self-escape may save more lives than sheltering. Chances for successful self-escape are further improved by regular, externally assessed training such as Level 1 Emergency Exercises required in the Australian State of Queensland. These exercises put pressure on mine operators to ensure and maintain the effectiveness of their emergency management system.

By M D. Uttarwar, R R. Yerpude

India is the world’s third-largest producer of coal and is endowed with the fifth-largest coal reserves in the world. Surface mining straddles the entire domain of the Indian coal mining industry, yielding over 88 per cent of production. With continually rising domestic demands, it has to shoulder the responsibility of sustaining the requisite increase in coal production and chasing commensurate stripping targets. Such an ambitious task calls for the deployment of smart technologies. In such a demanding situation, cast blasting of overburden has emerged as a promising alternative for enhancing production and productivity of dragline pits.The cast blasting technique reduces stripping costs significantly as it utilises the chemical energy of explosives in place of mechanical energy to move large volumes of overburden quickly. Proper application of cast blasting not only reduces overall mining costs but also increases coal production. This paper investigates and evaluates the potential of the cast blasting technique, with special reference to dragline pits employing the rehandle method of extended bench. The economic feasibility of the technique is also ensured under different scenarios so that considerable benefits would accrue to the individual surface coalmines. To underline the efficacy of the technique, different cast blasting models have been formulated under a range of operational and economic scenarios that resemble present day practices in India. In order to test for economic variability in the application of the technique, a risk analysis of all the formulated cast blasting models is performed using net present value.CITATION:Uttarwar, M D and Yerpude, R R, 2015. Potential of the overburden cast blasting technique in Indian surface coalmines – a modular approach and its financial implications, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 655–664 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By S. Banisi, A. Haji-Zadeh, H. Asadi, M. Maleki-Moghaddam

One area in AG/SAG milling field which has received a great attention is the optimization of liner design for any application to increase the availability of mills. The Gol-E-Gohar iron ore concentration plant uses three 9m × 2.05m autogenous mills (AG) in parallel in a dry operation. The AG mill shell is lined with three series (57 cm each) of 36-row liners. Due to large variations in feed characteristics and inadequate blending, the performance of AG mills has been lower than the target value. Therefore, to improve the comminution efficiency, the optimization of the design of AG mill shell liners was applied in this plant. By simulation it was found that increasing the liner lifter face angle from 7 to 30° while maintaining the original lifter height (i.e., 22.5 cm) could provide an appropriate charge trajectory. Measurement of the wear profiles of shell liners indicated that the wear along the liner length was not uniform and the highest wear occurred between 0.5 m and 1.2 m of the mill length. A new liner design was proposed by redistributing the metal from parts with a lower wear rate to the parts with a higher wear rate to arrive at a uniform wear profile along the liner length at the liner removal time. The non-uniform shell liner was constructed and installed in one of the three parallel dry AG mills. It was found that the first and second liner designs increased the mill throughput by 2.6 and 7.5%, respectively. After conversion to SAG milling on the account of liner change, 18% (from 413 to 489 t/h) increase in throughput was realized. It was predicted that the non-uniform liner designs will increase the liner life time by 10% and will reduce the scrap metal from the current value of 59% to 50%.

Jan 1, 2014

The International Symposium-cum-Workshop on Management andControl of High Gas Emissions and Outbursts in Underground CoalMines was held in Wollongong in March 1995. Coverage of high gasemissions was virtually confined to instantaneous outburst implications, essentially seam gas pre-drainage. Globally, instantaneous outbursts have been known for 150 years, andthe first Australian outburst occurred in 1895 and Australian occurrences and mines affected have increased since. Few significant coal producing countries are unaffected. The coals affected range in rank from lignites to anthracites. Geological disturbances are the most likely environments for occurrences. The most likely mining geometry is of virgin headings, with some occurrences on longwalls and in other situations. Widespread research into many aspects of the problem has yet to produce a generally accepted explanation. Explosive inducement is a well-known control. Apparently high advance rates increase face gassiness and create higher stress abutments, increasing proneness. The most popular preventive measure, pre-drainage of virgin coal ahead of faces has produced highly successful very long hole drilling performances but without the precision necessary for accurate geometric hole patterns, despite quite sophisticated drilling equipment and hole surveying instruments. For the future, more precise degasification is sought, even from the surface, together with rapid face coal gassiness assessments to confirm lowering below threshold values, as well as other proneness lowering measures, perhaps related to new heading and longwall geometries and to new equipment to provide them. But above all, safe management plans are required for each operation, to safeguard the miners and their working environments, and thus to protect underground coal mining from this mounting threatening problem.

Jan 1, 1997

By David D. Rabb

Leaching or solution mining, a relatively simple and economical process for beneficiating metallic ores, is likely to find increasing application in the treatment of low-grade ores that are impractical to mine by any other means. This process may be carried out in two different ways: 1. Dump leaching, where the ore is moved from its original location to be leached at another site. 2. In situ leaching, where the ore is leached in place by introducing the leach solution at the top, letting it flow down through the ore under gravity, and then recovering it plus the dissolved metals it contains.

Jan 1, 1969

By Dennis R. Dolinar, Christopher Mark, Gregory M. Molinda

Despite more than half a century of experience with roof bolting, no design method has received wide acceptance. To begin to improve this situation, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a statistical study of roof bolt performance at a number of mines throughout the U.S. Case histories were collected from 37 mines with a variety of roof bolt types and patterns in a wide range of geologic environments. Performance was measured in terms of the number of roof falls that occurred per10,000 ft of drivage. The study found that roof falls are rare when the roof is strong and the stress is low, even with light roof bolting patterns. The focus of this paper is on the more difficult conditions, where the roof is weaker and/or the stress is higher. Analysis of the results led to guidelines that can be used to make preliminary estimates of the required bolt length, capacity, and pattern. The guidelines are based on the depth of cover (which correlates with stress) and the roof quality (measured by the Coal Mine Roof Rating (CMRR), and the intersection span. Another contribution is a formula for estimating the horizontal stress level in the eastern U.S. coalfields as a function of the depth of cover. The design guidelines are currently being implemented into a computer program called Analysis of Roof Bolt Systems (ARBS).

By Carlos Mauricio Fontes Vieira, Sergio Neves Monteiro, Thiago Samarão Motta

This work has as its objective to characterize ceramic bodies formulated with ornamental rock waste and two different clays to produce ceramic paver. Specimens were made by uniaxial press-molding at 20 MPa and then fired at 950 and 1050oC respectively. The determined technological properties were: plasticity, dry bulk density, linear shrinkage, water absorption and flexural rupture strength. The results showed that the type of the clay has strong influence on the properties of interest for heavy clay ceramics. The investigated waste must be incorporated in small amounts to avoid increasing in the porosity of the ceramics.

Jan 1, 2015

Because the Environmental Protection Agency has identified methane as a greenhouse gas, the importance of de gasification through gob wells has become more critical. It has been observed that the degree of methane emission is closely related to the geomechanical characteristics of coal bearing strata, roof, floor, and surrounding coal seams. Monthly production data from 250 gob wells were collected from the Warrior Basin in Alabama, and many interesting correlations were observed between methane production with longwall face width, face advancement rate, number of gob wells in a panel, and geologic columns. Extensive finite element analyses were performed to estimate the characteristics of the emission zone in an attempt to corroborate these findings. This paper describes an investigation for developing correlations between the geomechanical behavior of the methane emission zone with methane production.

Jan 1, 1996

By Albert W. Deurbrouck

This report describes the preparation characteristics of the significant, presently producing coalbeds in Mercer County, W. Va. Approximately 650,000 tons of coal was produced in Mercer County, W. Va., in 1960, of which over 630,000 tons was cleaned in four preparation plants. In 1960 the Pocahontas Nos. 3, 6, and 11 coalbeds supplied 99.5 percent of the total coal mined in the county. Because the number of working mines In this county was small, only six samples were collected; four of which were of metallurgical quality as mined. The remaining two samples could be upgraded by washing at suitable specific gravities. Many of the samples taken were of metallurgical quality as mined; however, the float-and-sink analysis on these coals has been included to point out their amenability to the production of premium quality, special purpose coals. In general the coals were low-volatile bituminous in rank with low ash and sulfur contents.

Jan 1, 1963

By Richard L. Ashbrook, John F. Wallace

Several high-temperature eutectics of cobalt and nickel alloys were modified by small additions of selected elements. Thes-e alloys were compared to unmodified melts for microstructural variations. A few modified compositions were selected on the basis of structure and their tensile and stress-rupture behavior determined. The results of stress-rupture tests in air at 1800 F and room-temperature tensile tests of four high-temperature eutectics showed modification capable of producing substantial improvements in properties. The microstructures were altered and mechanical properties improved by: a.) dispersing a subordinate phase more uniformly throughout the matrix; b) replacing large continuous -network or platelike constituents with small equiaxed discontinuous phases; and c) by forming new, finely divided phases. tHE term "modification" is most commonly used to describe the refinement in microstructure of the Al-Si eutectic that occurs as a result of rapid cooling from the melt or on slow cooling after treatment with small amounts of sodium.1 "Modification" has also been used to describe the change from flake to spheroidal graphite in the austenite-graphite eutectic of cast iron.2 This change of graphite shape is accomplished by small additions of cerium or magnesium.3 Other systems have also been shown to be capable of modification, for example: Pb-Sn by copper;4 Al-Cu by sodium;5 Al-Mn by sodium;5 and Pb-Sb by aluminum.5 Although modification of Al-Si alloys and cast irons is usually accompanied by improved mechanical properties, a general definition of modification has been suggested to include the effect of small quantities of impurity elements on the microstructures of all eutectic alloys, regardless of the effect on the mechanical properties.6 In this paper, the term "modification" is employed in a broad sense to include the formation of third phases or even the supplanting of one of the binary eutectic phases by a third phase. The mechanism of modification, as for any solidification phenomenon, must be considered primarily in terms of nucleation and growth. Although both nuclea-tion and growth mechanisms are required to explain all the phenomena observed in connection with the solidification of modified eutectics, various investigators have usually favored one or the other.7"16 It has been shown that modification of a binary eutectic can be effected by addition of a solute element that has greatly different distribution coefficients or k values in the two phases of the eutectic. Under these conditions, differences in the temperatures at the solid-liquid interfaces of the two phases retard the growth of one phase with respect to the other.4 It has also been shown that increased undercooling favors a transition from a rodlike eutectic to a globular eutectic.17 A mechanism proposed for the transition from lamellar to rodlike eutectics depends on the concept of constitutional super cooling.18 The modification of eutectic alloys may be of interest for high-temperature service as well as at room temperature. Although "high-temperature eutectic alloys" may appear to be a contradiction in terms, many eutectic systems, including those studied in this work, have melting points in excess of 2400°F. One of the mechanisms by which high-temperature alloys are strengthened is dispersion of a relatively brittle phase such as an oxide, carbide, or an inter-metallic compound throughout a ductile matrix. For a given volume fraction of dispersed phase, strength is increased by decreasing the size and spacing of the dispersed particles.19&apos;20 Furthermore, room-temperature ductility may also be increased by changing the shape of a brittle dispersed phase from platelike to equiaxed or spheroidal.8 Overaging and redissolving of the secondary phase limit the maximum temperature to which precipitation-hardened alloys can be used. However, in a binary eutectic system, both phases coexist up to the melting point. Although all eutectic structures are not completely stable,21 a dispersion-hardened cast high-temperature alloy might result if a fine distribution of one of the eutectic phases could be obtained during solidification. An additional reason for interest in eutectic alloys is their excellent castability.22 Since eutectic alloys, like pure metals, freeze at a single temperature rather than over a range of temperatures, their castability is superior to solid-solution alloys with long liquidus to solidus ranges. The purpose of this research was to study the effects of small solute additions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a number of high-melting-point eutectic compositions.

Jan 1, 1967

By V. Wetzig

In the past, various investigations have been carried out at the Hagerbach Experimental Gallery under accurately reproducible conditions, in order to determine the emissions emanating from blasting operations. Comparative investigations proved that the composition of the blast fumes is influenced by the choice of different explosives. It also emerged that the use of emulsion explosives leads to significantly lower concentrations of harmful substances in the blast fumes. Further investigations concerned the residues and reaction products from the explosive process which are left in the debris. Eluate tests on representative samples of debris were used to determine the concentrations of nitrate, nitrite and ammonium in the debris.

Jan 1, 2001

By A. E. Cameron

The curve of coal production in Nova Scotia over the past forty years shows a definite maximum reached in 1913. Continued production to this maximum will require a greater tonnage per man-day, and this means there cannot be any increase in total man power used in the operations. There are still large reserves of coal but much of it will require washing or beneficiating to make a usable product. By-product recovery based on the present product ion is relatively satisfactory. Further development of secondary industries requires adequate markets for the bulk materials produced by the processing. It also requires access to other raw materials as well as markets for the principal product of the operations. Scientific investigation and research are needed to prove the quantity and value of lower grade or poorer quality coals, and methods for their recovery and utilization. Economics of further processing of present and future production must be investigated beforehand, if a successful development is to be assured. Such development cannot be expected largely to replace present markets. Production of coal for genera l use must continue to form the major function of the coal industry of the Province. Costs per ton must decrease, or subsidies or other assistance must increase, if the industry is to survive. Costs of investigation and research and costs of capital outlay for further development muse be met.

Jan 1, 1944

By E. F. Vegman, Ndabezinhle Dube

"In the practice of conventional sintering, production is always afflicted with the problem of being unable to get a uniform quality of produced sinter in the bed. Invariably the top layer of the sinter cake is composed of weak but highly sinter, while the bottom layer is over-fused, forming a sinter that is very strong but less reducible. These symptoms point to a variable distribution of the heat balance in the process of sintering which results in a deficit of heat in the top layers of the sinter bed and an excess of heat in the bottom layers, due to an increasing input of regenerated heat in the heat balance down the bed. This causes losses in the productivities of the sinter machine and the blast furnace.The current work was designed to improve on the solution to the above problem through the establishment of a more accurate combustion zone heat balance of the sintering process. This development is mostly on the method of determining the regenerated heat input in the overall heat balance. Previous methods were based on the assumption that the width and the velocity of the combustion zone remain constant through out its whole life, which is not the case since tests have shown that both its width and velocity increase as the combustion zone moves down the bed. In this work, these factors have been taken into account. Tests and calculations using the model were carried out for haematite and limonitic ores. The high sensitivity of the model to changes in the sinter mix composition and sintering conditions was demonstrated.The results present the following prospects:• The minimum theoretically possible coke breeze consumption during the sintering of any type of iron ore fines, under any sintering conditions, can be established.• The model can be used to control the metallurgical quality of the sinter in any point in the sinter bed since calculation data includes desired basicity, combustion zone temperature and FeO content in the sinter produced."

Jan 1, 2001

By Herbert H. Einstein

Rock mass deformability is commonly predicted using correlations with RQD or other indices of rock mass quality, or by extrapolation from large in-situ tests. Based on the probabilistic description of rock masses empirically developed in Part I a new approach was attempted in modeling for predictions of deformability. This approach decomposes the rock mass into spatially variable joints described by probability distributions, and intact rock blocks. Stiffnesses and elastic parameters are associated with the joints and intact blocks respectively, and deformations built up by adding the contributions of each. This model allows relaxation of many of the simplistic geometric assumptions which constrain parallel attempts to model deformation in rock masses. The model has been applied to four standard cases in order to test its results against previously existing models, and to check whether it replicates empirical correlations. When joints are taken as parallel, common empirical correlations are closely approximated by the model output. However, the closeness to empirical correlation breaks down when variability of the jointing geometry is increased.

Jan 1, 1979

By He De-wen

The influence of wastewater containing benzene from chemical industry by technology combined blow-off with Fenton reagent oxidation was experimentally studied. The present results suggest that the technology combined blow-off with Fenton reagent oxidation can effectively remove benzene pollutant in wastewater. The main factors that influence the removal benzene such as temperature and blowing time and volume, pH and reagent dosage of H2O2 and Fe2+ are studied and the optimal experimental conditions are as follows: time 20min, temperature 40i, air-blowing volume 0.4L/min, pH value 5, and H2O2 and Fe2+ dosage 2mL/L and 200mg/L respectively. Under the above conditions, benzene pollutant can be removed up to 97%. Compared to other removal ways of wastewater containing benzene, the technology combined blow-off with Fenton reagent oxidation is more effective and has the advantage of high speed.

Jan 1, 2009

By Sudhir Srivastava

India hosts a wide range of globally significant mineral resources, including four fuel minerals; 11 metallic minerals; 22 minor minerals and 52 non-metallic minerals. The country ranks among world?s top five nations for its commodity reserves of coal and iron ore. Interestingly, only small part of country&apos;s landmass has been explored that provides opportunity for future substantial mineral discoveries. India plans to double infrastructure investments to US$ 1trillion. Despite the challenges in infrastructure project implementation, mining sector remains a key driver of demand growth for commodities in the years to come with a good prospect to grow in future.

Sep 1, 2012

By Jack W. Carlson

Considering the magnitude of today&apos;s public concern with critical mineral and fuel materials, regarding both their midterm and long term availability, the Nation is fortunate to have in place and operating the coordinated data systems of the Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines. Under the supervision and policy direction of the Assistant Secretary--Energy and Minerals, these Department of the Interior agencies have long been responsible for important mineral activities in the Federal Government. Aside from their highly respected mineral industry publications such as the monthly Mineral Industry Surveys, annual Commodity Data Summaries and topical Professional Papers and Reports of Investigation, the Bureau of Mines and Geological Survey data bases and expertise have been readily available for use in emergency situations. Policymakers and decisionmakers in government have placed major reliance upon this ready mineral data and analytical capability in World War II, the Korean War, the recent price control era, and the Arab oil embargo.

Jan 1, 1975