Search Documents

By Jovanir Francisqueto

O objetivo deste projeto foi elevar a produtividade do pátio de placas do Laminador de Tiras a Quente da ArcelorMittal Tubarão através da alteração do processo de sequenciamento do Laminador de Tiras a Quente com a criação do processo de realocação de placas após a formação da chance de laminação. O trabalho iniciouse com a definição de regras metalúrgicas de realocação de materiais e definição dos critérios operacionais e de atendimento a pedidos para posteriormente ser desenvolvido o software de otimização para a execução da realocação automática de placas na chance de laminação com foco na redução de movimentações no pátio do Laminador de Tiras a Quente. Com a implantação do processo/sistema espera-se conseguir uma redução de aproximadamente 60% nas movimentações de placas para formação da chance de laminação, conforme demonstrado nas simulações com dados reais e consequentemente reduzindo número de paradas de forno em função de problemas de produtividade do pátio de placas visando o aumento da produção do Laminador de Tiras a Quente em torno de 15 Kt/ano.

Aug 16, 2017

NIOSH research has focused on the monitoring and the control of methane levels in active mine workings. Response times for instrumentation using catalytic heat-of-combustion sensor technology were evaluated. NIOSH research has modelled the flow of methane gas onto long-wall faces and gobs, developed engineering controls to limit methane levels during mining, and designed coalbed and gob degasification systems. Available methane control systems have been challenged by recent developments in longwall and room-and-pillar mining systems. This includes increased face advance rates leading to increased productivities, increased longwall panel sizes, and the generally deeper workings of U.S. coal mines. The potentially violent nature of any underground explosion or ignition requires the measurement, control, and reduction of methane emissions into the mine environment for continued worker safety.

Jan 1, 2008

By W. Norman Sims

A number of forces are at work that are now having an influence on coal handling systems. Changes are occurring and will be occurring at an increasing rate during the next few years. 1. Environmental concerns will dictate that dust pollution and spontaneous combustion and its resulting problems be rigidly controlled. 2. Slurry pipelines will be a reality despite the opposition of the railroads because they are economical and make good business sense. Artifical roadblocks can only survive for a limited time. 3. Coal is now and will remain the most economic fuel, particularly for power generation. This is true in most of the developed nations not just the United States. Increase in demand requires a close inspection of transportation systems. 4. A projected major increase in the export of U.S. coals may never occur without major port developments not the least of which will be the ability to accommodate large ships without demurrage time now affecting such shipments at U.S. Ports.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. van Huyssteen, M. Cantor

Newmont Ghana Gold Limited's Ahafo Operation has matured from its project ramp up stage into steady state operations after three years of operation. Management focus has shifted from addressing construction and commissioning problems to optimization and improvement. This focus change has coincided with the introduction by Newmont of a Continuous Improvement (CI) program across the company which provided a project management methodology that can be used in the execution of smaller scale projects. This paper focuses on the application of CI principles at the Ahafo Plant through the discussion of several case studies that demonstrate how these principles are applied.

Jan 1, 2011

By N. Kuyucak

"Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the most significant environmental challenges facing the mining industry worldwide. It occurs as a result of natural oxidation of sulphide minerals contained in mining wastes at operating and closed/decommissioned mine sites. AMD may adversely impact the surface water and groundwater quality and land use due to its typical low pH, high acidity and elevated concentrations of metals and sulphate content. Once it develops at a mine, its control can be difficult and expensive. If generation of AMD cannot be prevented, it must be collected and treated. Treatment of AMD usually costs more than control of AMD and may be required for many years after mining activities have ceased. Therefore, application of appropriate control methods to the site at the early stage of the mining would be beneficial.Although prevention of AMD is the most desirable option, a cost-effective prevention method is not yet available. The most effective method of control is to minimize penetration of air and water through the waste pile using a cover, either wet (water) or dry (soil), which is placed over the waste pile. Despite their high cost, these covers cannot always completely stop the oxidation process and generation of AMD. Application of more than one option might be required.Early diagnosis of the problem, identification of appropriate prevention/control measures and implementation of these methods to the site would reduce the potential risk of AMD generation. AMD prevention/control measures broadly include use of covers, control of the source, migration of AMD, and treatment. This paper provides an overview of AMD prevention and control options applicable for developing, operating and decommissioned mines."

Jan 1, 2002

By Caio Luca Joppert

O objetivo do trabalho foi estudar a possibilidade de ajustar as características do biogás produzido a partir da fermentação de vinhaça de modo a torná-lo intercambiável com o Gás Natural (GN), ou um GN substituto (GNS) com características que permitam introduzi-lo na rede de distribuição. São considerados aspectos normativos e técnicos associados à composição química e comportamento durante processo de combustão visando o atendimento aos requisitos normativos estabelecidos para o GN. O trabalho considera a vinhaça, rejeito da produção de etanol a partir da cana-de-açúcar, como fonte para produção do biogás em razão da grande disponibilidade deste resíduo do setor sucroalcooleiro. O Estado de São Paulo (ESP) é tratado com destaque, uma vez que este concentra a maior parte da produção do setor sucroalcooleiro no Brasil. Cálculos de razões de mistura tratada com gases de ajuste foram realizados para verificação das proporções necessárias que viabilizam a utilização da mistura como GNS, tendo como referência especificações da ANP. Os resultados do estudo indicam que a alternativa de geração e beneficiamento de biogás da vinhaça é uma opção tecnicamente viável de conversão de fração considerável deste resíduo do setor sucroalcooleiro em gás com características similares ao GN. Ademais, a alternativa proporciona a valoração do conteúdo orgânico do resíduo, com redução da contaminação dos solos no processo de reaproveitamento dos nutrientes nos processos de fertirrigação.

Jul 31, 2018

By J. Hendry, K. Brady, J. Yorzyk

Drawing from the experience of nickel, copper, aluminum and mineral borates, this paper illustrates the business value that the mining, minerals and metals industry as a whole can gain from applying life cycle assessment (LCA) to products and operations. Through the use of case studies, the paper explores how companies and industry associations have used LCA to their advantage: from evaluating capital investments, meeting customer information needs, supporting new product applications, and developing credible marketing information on the environmental performance of their products. It also explores the dynamics of LCA adoption and integration within companies, and provides recommendations to further strengthen institutionalization of LCA.

Jan 1, 2010

By E. I. Gedgagov, A. V. Tarasov, V. M. Paretsky, A. D. Besser

"Hydrometallurgical technology and equipment have been developed in the Gintsvetmet Institute (Moscow, Russia) for processing of rhenium-containing alloys waste to produce commercial- grade metal products with recovery of all valuable components. The technology is based on waste treatment with hydrofluoric acid with subsequent decomposition with nitric acid at pH = 1 to 1.5 to ensure maximum degree of rhenium conversion to the liquid phase of pulp. Some experimental lots of ammonium rhenate and ammonium molybdate were produced at a pilot plant. The following main techno-economic performance values have been achieved when processing grinding residues (balance-based tests were conducted with a lot of SP-2 alloy waste) to produce ammonium rhenate of high purity, as well as tantalum-niobium, nickel-cobalt and tungsten-molybdenum concentrates: rhenium recovery of 92.3% into a commercial product from grinding waste; production cost of 170-210 US Dollars per 1 kg of rhenium in commercial-grade ammonium perrhenate taking into account its recovery; tantalum and niobium recovery of 75- 77% into bulk concentrate; nickel and cobalt recovery of 88-89% into a mixed concentrate; tungsten and molybdenum recovery of 88% to 91% into concentrate. Introduction During the recent years the use of rhenium has been increasing at a fast pace worldwide [1]. The growing prices for this refractory metal are an essential factor encouraging collection and processing of rhenium-containing wastes. Double-component waste, such as molybdenum- rhenium or tungsten-rhenium alloys can be readily decomposed and the process of rhenium recovery does not cause, therefore, any difficulties. The main separation of metals takes place at the stage of waste digestion with acid, because molybdenum and especially tungsten remain in precipitate in the form of hydrated oxides and rhenium reports in the liquid phase, from which it can be easily extracted by solid ion-exchange or solvent extraction techniques. However, most of rhenium is contained in super-alloy waste [2]. Such waste has different contents of valuable components, such as tantalum, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, nickel, chromium and other metals. The basis of all such super-alloy waste is nickel. Refractory metals in the super- alloy composition are in the form of metallized target-oriented eutectics, and due to this reason hydrometallurgical decomposition of such alloys is a difficult technological task."

Jan 1, 2008

By W. C. Whittaker

Introduction When one thinks of a coal stripping deposit, the picture that usually comes to mind is that of a more or less flat seam from two to twenty feet in thickness overlain by ten to fifty feet of overburden, in suitable ratio for economic operation. This is the usual type of stripping deposit and is quite a common occurrence in various parts of the prairie provinces. Rather unusual types of coal stripping deposits are being presently worked as open-cut mines by Sterling Collieries, Limited, and the Co al Valley Mining Company, Limited, at Miles 47 and 48 on the Alberta Coal Branch, some 150 miles south west of Edmonton. These deposits are of interest chiefly because they represent turned-up and greatly thickened sections of the Mynheer seam, and as such they present their own problems, peculiar to the commercial exploitation of a seam of this type. The area in which these deposits occur was originally owned by the Pacific Pass Collieries, whose operations, however, were confined to under-ground mining at Lovett, some eight miles to the southeast. It was not until l918 that the value of these deposits was realized, when the Company now known as Sterling Collieries, Limited, opened their pit at Mile 47. At the inception of the work, coal was loaded directly into the railway cars by men using wheelbarrows. In 1920, a tipple was built, after which the coal was loaded by steam shovel into mine cars, hauled by steam dinkeys, and loaded over the tipple into railway cars. In 1922, the Coal Valley Mining Company entered the field at Mile 48, with an entirely mechanical equipment, and at the present rime these two are the only stripping properties in Alberta using mechanical equipment both for the removal of overburden and the loading of the coal. These Companies have operated continuously since that time, and have to date mined and shipped 4,000,000 tons of coal, and moved some 5,255,000 cubic yards of stripping. The present annual coal output for the two mines is about 240,000 tons.

Jan 1, 1935

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 K. Lim, J. Sobil, L. Galarza Castillo, F. Tozlu

"For mining operations globally, the scale and criticality of the grinding mill drive has meant that selection of the correct mill drive technology is paramount. With so much depending on the successful implementation of the electrical drive system— safety operation, timely installation, availability, energy efficiency, minimum maintenance and extend its use as tool to assist during mill liner exchange—customers are justified in their scrutiny and slow adoption of new drive technology. From the first installation of low, fixed speed synchronous motors to the introduction of the current source and further voltage source variable frequency drive, innovations require long periods of time and mining customers willing to push the industry forward. In recent years, the variable frequency drive has been the stepping stone for a new generation of mill drive technology. In use for decades in other heavy industrial applications, the drives allow for system optimization in a myriad of ways. The most dramatic of changes is in the design of the motor. Where in the past motor design was bound by line frequency, today the designer can optimize machine size and, more importantly, eliminate the need entirely for the synchronous motor. Induction motor design has now progressed to the point where low speed operation is possible at efficiency levels nearing those of the synchronous design. Moreover, the simplicity of the squirrel cage design means that availability, reliability and spare part requirements are greatly improved. As the next step in the evolution of large pinion driven grinding mills, the low speed induction drive offers a new reliable and robust system to the market.IntroductionAs deposit grades continue to decline, new ways of processing ever greater concentrator throughputs have been required to maintain throughput efficient and profitable operations. Furthermore, the high risk nature of mining developments requires a constant search for safer, higher availability and more efficient equipment design. Limitation of downtime is a key factor in ensuring mining operations can be sustained through volatile market conditions. Often processing the entire mine throughput through just 1 or 2 lines, the crushing and grinding circuits are of particular criticality to the uptime and, thus, profitability of any mining operation."

Jan 1, 2016

By M. Olalde, I. Watson

"The consequences of ineffective mine closure in South Africa are evident from the number of abandoned mines and operations on extended care-and-maintenance, the on-selling of mines to less well-resourced companies to close, and increasing illegal mining activities. However, the data to substantiate these observations and provide insight into the underlying issues has not been available. Through the Promotion of Access to Information Act, a list of mine closure certificates applied for between 2011 and 2016 and a list of certificates granted over the same period for all nine regions of South Africa was obtained. From the analysis of this data, we show that the mine closure system as implemented in South Africa is largely ineffective. Although closure certificates are being granted, these are for prospecting sites and small-scale mines, which have a relatively small environmental impact. No large mines of any environmental significance were relinquished over the period under review, with very few applying for closure certificates. Furthermore, the issuing of closure certificates varies significantly between regional offices, with the success rate for applications being generally low and issuing of certificates taking an extended period. IntroductionThere are a number of concerns with the mine closure process as practiced in South Africa, and these have largely been laid at the door of government. Alberts et al. (2017) stress that the legislation generally conforms to international best practice. However, the system is ‘complex and unwieldy’, involving various pieces of legislation and different government departments with overlapping requirements and different interpretations of the law. A further area of concern is the capacity and competence of government to implement legislation. The ‘shortage of relevant mine closure skills and knowledge within the regulator’ was identified by van Druten and Bekker (2017) as a key contributor to unsuccessful closure. Lack of capacity and resources within the regulator has also been highlighted by Botham, Kelso, and Annegarn (2011) and Milaras, McKay, and Ahmed (2014). A recent study of the mineral application process by Corruption Watch (2017) indicates that positions in the regulator have been frozen for many years, leading to a shortage of staff, and that unqualified individuals have been appointed. There is also the perceived reluctance of government to grant closure in order to limit transfer of the liability to the state and delay the inevitable job losses."

Jul 1, 2019

By Philip W. Simmons

THE Colorado Plateau uranium province is in a mining boom rivaling the most colorful days of the early West. The application of scientific skills and the use of modern and novel mechanical equipment, however, is unique. No metal has ever received such concentrated effort from geologists and mining engineers. Moreover, no other metal has had the variety of tools available for finding and mining ores. Radiation detection equipment, bull- dozers, truck-mounted wagon and core drills, jeeps, airplanes, helicopters, tractor loaders, self -propelled 3-wheeled dump cars, front-end loaders and fleets of modern trucks are some of the present-day tools of the uranium prospector and miner. Because uranium is so vital to our national defense, the Atomic Energy Commission has offered many incentives for its mining. Through a series of circulars, the AEC has established base price schedules and various incentive payments. The incentive payments for acceptable ores from domestic mines are: (1) a guaranteed base price of $3.50 per Ib for ores assaying 0.20 pct U3O8 and more; (2) premiums based on grades above 0.20 pct U3O8 as for example, ores assaying above 0.50 pct U3O8 receive $1.00 per lb premium; (3) a development allowance of 506 per Ib of U3O8 contained in ores assaying over 0.10 pct U3O8 (4) an ore haulage allowance of 64 a ton mile for a maximum of 100 miles; and (5) an initial production bonus which may amount to as much as $35,000 in addition to all other payments. The producers have been guaranteed this policy until Feb. 28, 1957. The other four will continue until April 1962.

Jan 4, 1954

By L. K. Jetter, J. C. Ogle, C. L. McHargue

The preferred orientation developed in extruded aluminum rods has been studied as a function of extrusion temperature, extrusion speed, and position in the rod. Duplex <111> - <001> textures were developed for slow extrusion speeds at temperatures of 75° to 850° F and for fast extrusion speeds at temperatures of 75° to 450°F. The <001> texture component was shown to be primarily due to re crystallization occurring during fabrication. At fast speeds and billet temperatures of 650° to 850°F, complete recrystallization occurred and <115>or<118> textures were found. The nature of the structure has proved to be an important variable in the production and use of extruded products. Data on the flow of aluminum and aluminum alloys summarized by Smith,&apos; Hardy,&apos; and Locke3 show that the extruded product may possess a deformed, a partially recrystallized, or a completely recrystallized structure, and there may be important variations in the structure from surface to center and from front end to back end of an extrusion. This inhomogeneity in grain structure and preferred orientation affects both the mechanical properties of the extruded section and its response to subsequent heat treatment. Among the fabrication variables causing these differences are temperature, extrusion ratio, and extrusion speed. Preferred orientation which develops during the extrusion of rods is of the fiber-type and, in general, has been assumed to be similar to that developed in rods or wires fabricated by drawing through dies, rolling, or swaging.4 Because of the nature of the flow of metal being extruded, this assumption may be valid for material near the center of the rod but probably is not valid for the outer layers. In most face-centered-cubic metals a duplex fiber texture has commonly been reported in which the grains have either <Ill> or <001> directions parallel to the longitudinal axis. Sachs and fichiebold5 reported cold-drawn aluminum (99.6 pct pure) to have a single <Ill> fiber texture, and this observation was confirmed by Schmid and Wassermann.6 Hibbard, on the other hand, observed a minor <001> and a major <111> texture in 99.994 pct A1 cold drawn to 98 pct reduction in diam.7 He concluded that the <001> component resulted from a small amount of room-temperature recrystallization. Dayal8 concluded that the <001> component was an intermediate component which disappeared at high reductions in 99.5 pct pure Al. Kostron and schippers9 found duplex <111> — <001> textures in extruded 99.5 pct Al, as did Gow and cahnl0 and GOW11 for extruded rods of commercial and superpure aluminum. Similar duplex fiber textures have been reported for aluminum alloys by Kostron,= Unckel,13 and Van Horn.14 The present paper is concerned with the variation in texture with fabricating conditions and with the nature of the texture components in extruded aluminum rod (99.99 pct pure). EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Ingots were chill-cast in cast-iron molds and machined to 3-in. diam by 6-in. long extrusion billets. These billets were upset to 3.125 in. diam and extruded through a flat-face 0.690-in. diam die. Quenching of the rods was accomplished by a water spray at the die face. The combinations of fabricat-

Jan 1, 1960

By Hanns J. Billmayer

Optimized Operator Compartment layouts based on previous Bureau of Mines activities in standardization and optimization of controls were designed and installed in three operating vehicles. Two National Mine Service 48A-36 TorKars were modified in production prior to delivery to the Quarto Mining Company. An Elkhorn AR-4 scoop owned by Adanac Coal Company was modified in a local rebuild shop. The modified vehicles were then evaluated underground under normal production conditions for a 60 day period. Vehicle operators and management appear well satisfied with the compartment modifications.

Jan 1, 1976

By J. L. Cupp, R. C. Ford, B. R. Romig

The Climax Molybdenum Mine, located near Leadville, Colorado, is the site of a lengthy mining history spanning more than 80 years. In the 1960’s, extraction of molybdenum from oxide ore located adjacent to the massive molybdenite sulfide deposit resulted in the construction of an earthen core dam to impound fine-grained oxide tailing in the Eagle River Valley. Through recognized value of water storage and reclamation opportunities, a tailing removal project was initiated in 1993 to convert the impoundment facilities to a post-mining beneficial land use of developed water resources. An evaluation of the effect residual materials and lake dynamics would have on in-stream water quality was performed. Eagle Park Reservoir stands as a model for future reclamation efforts that involve water delivery to highly sensitive receiving waters. This paper provides a case study on project development, the evolution of water quality assessment, and the regulatory framework that contributed to this project’s success.

Jan 1, 1999

By James J. Cahill

Contractor&apos;s working in an urban environment face a multitude of working conditions. There is no typical "Downtown" job site. From afar we just see the skyline, or up close a specific building. This, of course, does not give us a clue as to the site conditions the foundation contractor faced in doing his work. The open, downtown building site is still available on some projects, but they are becoming rare as our cities are becoming more developed. A typical site today might include any one or several of the following problems: A. Deep pit with no ramp access B. Multi-type known or unknown obstructions C. Height limitations D. Load restrictions E. Existing adjacent building founded on shallow foundation F. Existing foundations G. Existing tunnels, utilities or subways

Jan 1, 1991

By S. B. Bealko

Mining haul trucks comprise the majority of the equipment used in underground limestone mining operations and are known to emit high levels of noise. A previous study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) indicates that 70-90 percent of all miners have a noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) great enough to be classified as a hearing disability by retirement age. These results demonstrate the public health need to protect the hearing of workers in the mining industry, including haul truck drivers. Cab enclosures present an opportunity to isolate the haul truck operator from both truck and other noise in the mining environment. A total of twenty-five haul truck cabs were studied which were divided into three style (treatment) categories determined by soundproofing features and technology for noise reduction: old-, new-, and retrofitted-style. This study examines the contribution of cab acoustics, operator performance, and maintenance to noise reduction for each cab style. Dosimeters were used to measure 8-hr time weighted average sound pressure levels (TWA8 SPLs) inside and outside the cabs to determine if different acoustical treatments affect cab attenuation. Adherence to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 90 dB TWA8 (with a 90 dB threshold) was used as the main indicator of overall noise reduction achieved. Dosimetery results indicate only 2% of the samples exceeded the PEL, but samples could still be reduced much further. Descriptive and comparative statistics indicate that noise levels inside the new-style cabs are significantly lower than the other two cab styles. Also, data suggest that there is no difference in noise exposures when comparing the old-style to retrofitted cab styles. Operator influence (opening doors and windows) was a significant factor for increasing noise exposure. This paper demonstrates that properly designed cabs can achieve major noise reductions, but noise levels could still be reduced much further below the MSHA PEL. New-style cabs, equipped with modern noise-reduction treatments, exhibit much lower noise exposures than the other two cabs styles, and the effectiveness of the current noise-reduction treatments for retrofitted cabs is questionable. Haul truck driver observations indicate that improved noise exposure reduction training is needed. Finally, specific targets for future noise reduction research are suggested that will further contribute to the prevention of hearing loss for haul truck operators.

By T Roberts

The transition of mechanical cooling refrigerants from their inception in the 1800s through to the current day has been driven by several factors. Original refrigerants such as sulfur and carbon dioxide, chloromethane and ammonia, whilst effective came with toxicity and/or flammability issues. In 1930 DuPont trademarked a new synthetic refrigerant known as Freon® 12, this development was the introduction of ‘chlorofluorocarbons’ (CFCs).Throughout the 1930s and 1940s additional synthetic refrigerants were developed, namely Freon® 11 and Freon® 22. Due to their non-toxic and non-flammable characteristics, synthetic refrigerants were extensively used for domestic, commercial and industrial applications for the next 60 years.In 1985, one of the first scientific papers suggested a potential mechanism linking CFCs and areduction in the density of the ozone layer. In 1987 the Montreal protocol is ratified; it is the first UN treaty to be ratified by every country on earth. Due to CFC’s ozone depletion potential (ODP), the treaty required the consumption of CFC’s to be reduced by 50 per cent over the next ten years. By 1996 the phase out of CFC’s (Freon® 12) is completed, the phase out of HCFC (Freon® 22) refrigerants comes into effect.On 1 January 2018 the phase down of HFC’s begins. Whilst having zero impact on the ozone layer HFC refrigerants have high global warming potential (GWP). As we transition through the HFC phase down (2018–2035) we are beginning to see the emergence of what some consider to be the fourth synthetic wave, hydrofluoro-olefins (HFO’s). HFO’s and their blends have zero ODP and low GWP’s, ranging from 150 to less than 1. The reduction in GWP with HFO’s typically comes at the expense of flammability, which is not ideal. Each refrigerant has its optimal application, therefor when considering refrigerant choices for mining systems, a complete assessment of the environmental, health and safety, efficiency and commercial impacts should be considered now more than ever.

Oct 12, 2022

A model was developed of a CIL/CIP circuit for recovery of gold and silver. The model uses a simple two rate representation of the leaching kinetics. Parameters for the leaching kinetics may be simply obtained by sampling the feed to a circuit and the tailings from each tank and assaying the solids for both gold and silver to obtain the assay profiles of the solids down the tanks. The parameters in such a leaching model would be expected to be a function of the ore type, the grind, whether oxygen was used and the general chemical environment. These parameters are primary inputs to the model for any simulation. Standard power law relationships are used to express the practical equilibrium between the gold and silver cyanides adsorbed on the active carbon and the tenor of the solutions. The parameters for this may be derived from solution and carbon assays for the same set of samples. The model is constructed by writing a mass balance for gold and silver in and out of each tank in the train and for the circuit overall. Other inputs to a simulation are the feed rate of ore, per cent solids of the slurry in the tanks, gold and silver loadings of the input æbarrenÆ carbon and the rate of movement of carbon through the circuit counter-current to the slurry. With appropriate practical parameters the simulation is able to reproduce typical tank profiles.

Jan 1, 2004