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By H. Masuda

The lijima Zinc Refinery started operation in 1972, and has today an annual capacity of 200, 000+-Zn. The hematite process was employed for the first time and the ideal of waste-free refinery has been pursued for 30 years. In recent years, however, only half of the hematite produced would be sold to the cement industry and hence a reduction of arsenic level has been necessary in order to sell the entire amount produced, The arsenic cementation process with zinc powder, developed through a long time laboratory research was found among some options as the best for the hematite process. The construction work started in 2000 and the facility was put into operation in 200 I. As a result in the same year all hematite were sold to the cement industry. The outline of this project, present operations and technical issue are reported in this paper.

Jan 1, 2003

By Jonkion M. Font

Due to the known disadvantages of the use of iron silicate slag in the nickel converting stage, i.e., high metal losses, high magnetite content, and low fixation of impurities in the slag, the development of the new proposed "ferrous calcium silicate slag" for smelting and converting processes of nickel is very promising. Hence, considering the successful experimental results of using CaO base slag for the nickel smelting process, a study based on a detailed comparison for the phase equilibrium, and the minor elements distribution between the Ni3S2-FeS matte with either FeOx-CaO or FeOX-Si02 base slag was investigated. The main results are summarized as: no difference in the nickel losses between both slags was found at high nickel content in the matte, and the fractional distribution analysis for arsenic and antimony pointed out their preferential fixation in the calcium ferrite slag rather than in the iron silicate slag. Considering the energy and pollution issues, the technical feasibility of using calcium ferrite slag in a converting process of the Bessemer matte will have a prominent future for the nickel industry.

Jan 1, 2003

By M. A. Neri

A lead-free solder alloy Sn-57.5Bi-0.5Ag has been developed by mechanical alloying and foundry processes, and has great potential as a lead-free solder system, to low temperature applications. The mechanical alloying powders show a microstructure different to the microstructure obtained by the foundry process for the same alloy. Its melting point of 142°C is slightly higher than that of eutectic tin- bismuth solder. Examination of the microstructure revealed that eutectic microstructure is refined by the mechanical alloying process Ag additions. The lamellar structure of tin-bismuth gradually disappeared with the process of mechanical alloying, while intermetallic compounds AgaSn phase was formed. The Cu-Sn intermetallic compound layer formed at solder-copper interface is the Cu6Sn5 phase. Keywords: Lead-free solder, Microstructure. Mechanical alloying

Jan 1, 2003

By J. Jakumelt

The coupled simulation of mold filling and solidification for an investment casting process presents difficult. This is due to the complexity of the carious physical process and the geometry, To achieve this task in a precise way, the CFD program FLUENT and the casting simulation tool CASTS were closely coupled. Any physical quantity, such as velocities or temperatures, can be exchanged via files after each time step of the simulation. The communication and operating sequence of the programs is controlled by PERL-scripts. This enables the expertise of FLU ENT for flow simulation and the strength of CASTS, for casting simulation to be combined. The coupled simulation was successful applied to an aerospace investment casting. Several physical models were tested for correct treatment of the casting filters, the porosity of the mold and the viscosity of the liquid metal. The results demonstrate that even complex investment casting geometries can be investigated using CASTS-FLUENT.

Jan 1, 2003

By T. Maejima, K. Aoki, T. Mori, K. Iwano

Concerning the excavation of rock cavern, it is one of the most important issues to evaluate the behavior of rock joints. But few detailed measurements for joint behavior had been conducted. Therefore, in order to evaluate the stability of rock cavern, effective approach for monitoring and analyzing the joint behavior needs to be developed. In this paper, authors described the results of analysis for joint behavior during the excavation by comparing with both results of the in-situ measurement by BTV and the numerical analysis by MBC model. Bei Ausschachten von Gesteinshöhlen ist es von besonderer Bedeutung, das stark von den Verbindungsteilen beeinflusste Gesteinsverhalten zu bewerten. Jedoch wurden bisher nur wenige Beobachtungen über das Öffnungsverhalten von Verbindungen durchgeführt. Daher muss ein effizientes Verfahren zur Überwachung der Stabilität unterirdischer Höhlen und der Analyse des Verhaltens von Verbindungsstellen entwickelt werden. In der vorliegenden Studie beschreiben die Autoren das Verhalten von Verbindungsstellen während der Ausschachtung durch Vergleiche sowohl mit den Ergebnissen von in situ Messungen mittels BTV als auch numerische Simulation mit dem MBC Modell, welches auch Diskontinuitäten berücksichtigen kann. Quand il s’agit d’excaver une caverne dans une roche ayant des joints très développés, il importe fort d’évaluer le comportement de la roche. Cependant, le nombre d’observations du comportement des roches effectuées au niveau de joints est loin d’être suffisant. Par conséquent, pour s’assurer de la stabilité des parois des cavernes souterraines, il a fallu mettre au point une méthode fiable de détection et d’analyse du mouvement des joints. Dans cet article, les auteurs décrivent leurs études de comportement des joints pendant l'excavation, en comparant les résultats des mesures effectuées in-situ, dans un chantier d’excavation par BTV , avec ceux d’analyse de la simulation numérique par MBC permettant de tenir compte des discontinuités.

Jan 1, 2003

By Karl J. C. Harries

"7.1. INTRODUCTIONThis chapter addresses the joint venture and examines a number of general concepts of the joint venture relationship. Chapter 8 looks at some specific concepts related to the provisions of a joint venture agreement, which are equally applicable to a shareholders’ agreement or other contractual relationship. The term “joint venture” is used because the author is a common law solicitor (a matter of convenience for which apologies are offered to civil law readers), but it should be noted that, in many aspects, the legal structure of an entity is irrelevant. It is the relationship of the parties, be they venturers or shareholders, that is important, and the areas of concern are surprisingly similar (except for terminology).The details of the joint venture relationship and agreement could fill several books. Accordingly, this chapter and the next focus on selected topics that appear to have caused problems or confusion or to be the basis for disputes. And remember that, although the following discussion is in the context of a joint venture, many of the comments apply, either directly or indirectly, to virtually any common undertaking and the agreement defining it.For interest’s sake, this chapter starts with a summary of some of the earlier types of agreements and arrangements that have evolved into the joint venture agreement of today in Canada, the philosophy of their format, and the reasons for their demise.7.2. EVOLUTION OF THE CANADIAN JOINT VENTUREThe Early DaysMuch of the opening up of Canada’s north is due to exploration for and development of mines. The early discoverers were relatively free to roam and explore at will and, if they were fortunate enough to find something, they dealt with the appropriate government to acquire exploitation rights. The early interests lay in gold or silver. Workings were small, usually worked by the owner alone or with only a couple of helpers to extract the native gold or silver. If the owner wanted to move on, he could sell his property outright and use his stake to look elsewhere.As logging and mining camps were opened, the development of better roads and railways made access easier. Entrepreneurs saw the opportunity to make money by assembling large parcels of land and working them as a single operation. In order to do this, some owners who were not ready to sell out had to be convinced to do so through more attractive offers"

Jan 1, 2003

By E. V. Verhoef

The proposed EU directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment promotes the substitution of lead in consumer electronics to reduce emissions from lead in the end of life phase. In this paper, the consequences of substituting lead in solders is assessed using the Eco-lndicator-99 method for the examples. The base metal production system is considered as an interconnected network modeled dynamically in Simulink 4 and Matlab 6 (Mathworks Inc 2000), where the recovery and production of metal components of the assessed product partially overlap. This approach requires global modeling of metal production processes and mass balances and resulting allocation choices. It also reveals the susceptibility of LeA scores to different choices in the modeling and data availability and uncertainty. Besides the comparison between lead-free and lead-containing solders, other side effects are revealed. Lead is carrier material for the recycling and production of many co-elements in the interconnected production and recovery system. Substitution may have adverse effects such as temporary shortages of other connected metals that are often not considered in normal LeA assessments, thus leading to erroneous results. The suggested approach provides directions for including these external effects and for further assessment of the environmental effects of substituting lead. This paper shows that in order to assess the environmental aspects of metallurgy, dynamic modeling of the total system is required based on the fundamental thermodynamics in each metallurgical reactor, the basis of this dynamic model. With this the true environmental impact of metallurgy can be explained. In the case of lead free solder, it is shown that the mining of substitutes has a very much larger impact.

Jan 1, 2003

By Moelans. N.

A method using an ex-situ electrochemical measurement device was developed to determine the oxygen potential of non-ferrous metallurgical slags. The electrochemical cell consists of the molten slag sample, an inert Ir electrode, a stabilized Zr02 solid electrolyte and a NilNiO reference electrode. Different slags from non-ferrous pyrometallurgical processes were analysed at I 100 and 1200 °C and pO2values between 10-3 and 10-12 bar were obtained. The measurements were evaluated with thermodynamic calculations and using processing considerations. It was found that the reproducibility and stability of the measurement was significantly improved by shielding the molten slag from the atmosphere by a thin layer of carbon, especially for slags with a low oxygen potential.

Jan 1, 2003

By Karl J. C. Harries

"4.1. INTRODUCTIONThis chapter, although divided into four parts, deals with only two principal topics. The first briefly describes and discusses some common types of property interests and considerations relating to them and the second deals with entering upon privately owned lands and obtaining the consent to do so.It should be noted that the terms “mining rights” and “mineral rights” are used interchangeably. As so used, they include the right to exploit the minerals and dispose of them for the benefit of the owner/lessee. This is relatively common in common law jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, the two terms have distinct meanings, with “mining rights” referring to the right to work or exploit the minerals and “mineral rights” referring to the minerals themselves.Finally, it must be mentioned that the comments in the Introduction and §§ 4.2., 4.3. and 4.4. are based primarily upon Ontario law and Ontario’s mining and real property systems of registration. They have been included for illustrative purposes.4.2. LICENCES, CLAIMS, AND LEASESIn most jurisdictions, there are several basic types of interests that can be obtained from the state for mining purposes and that are of interest to the explorationist, as opposed to the operator. Different jurisdictions will have variations of these and possibly some extra ones that will address special purposes or local concerns. In virtually every jurisdiction, privately owned property rights are obtained through negotiation between owner and acquiror.Exploration or prospecting licence. This licence grants to the holder the right to prospect over a large tract of land and the exclusive right to acquire mining claims within that tract for the term of the licence. Such licences are usually negotiated documents requiring a minimum expenditure during the first year (often secured by a deposit or surety bond) and minimum annual expenditures thereafter to continue the licence in force up to its full term. The term will rarely exceed four years. The number of claims permitted to be staked will be limited in some way, possibly as to a maximum aggregate area or a maximum number of claims per annum. It is normal for the holder to have to drop part of the licensed area each year, so that the area shrinks annually, although exploration expenditure requirements will usually increase.These types of licences are usually used by governments to encourage exploration of otherwise unattractive or remote areas, such as the far northern parts of some of Canada’s provinces. They do not grant any real property interest in the area for which they are issued, and they will be subject to any claims or property rights that exist in the area. They are contracts with the state that grant certain exclusive rights in return for commitments to carry out work. They may or may not be specifically authorized by statute."

Jan 1, 2003

By Hiroshi Sasaki, Herman D. Mendoza

"The surface-chemical property of nickel slag fiber was modified in aqueous media in order to act as an active and efficient collector of colloidal amorphous silica from geothermal effluent. Colloidal amorphous silica (0.05 µm) from geothermal wastewater causes operational and ecological problems. It clogs geothermal pipes and waterways, and when disposed to the environment poses hazardous effects on both the flora and fauna ecology. Because colloidal amorphous silica is extremely fine and remains in suspension in aqueous media, conventional solid/liquid processes to remove colloidal silica from its bulk liquid are rendered ineffective.A rapid separation technique is then developed to remove effectively amorphous colloidal silica from its bulk liquid by attaching the extremely fine particles of silica onto a nickel slag fiber coated with magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2. The nickel slag fiber has the following characteristics: a high surface area and predominantly possesses negative charge in aqueous media with an iso-electric point at pH ~2.5. When soaked and saturated with Mg(OH)2 solution, the surface of the nickel slag fiber becomes coated with fine and compacted Mg(OH)2 precipitates. This modifies the surface- chemical property of nickel slag fiber transforming the negatively charged surface into a positively charged surface in aqueous media with an iso-electric point of around pH 11.8, which corresponds to the iso-electric point of Mg(OH)2. When geothermal effluent containing negatively charged colloidal amorphous silica particles (i.e.p. of silica is pH 2) is passed through a column-bed packed with surface-chemically modified nickel slag fibers under natural pH conditions, the colloidal amorphous silica particles are recovered by attachment onto the surface of the surface- modified nickel slag fiber. The recovery of colloidal amorphous silica by attachment is 97-99%, resulting in the production of a relatively clean and silica free output. Aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)3, was also used to modify the surface –chemical property of the nickel slag fiber. In the same way, it also exhibited a positive response with the collection of colloidal amorphous silica from its bulk liquid, but yielding a lower recovery of 90%. This may be attributed to the lower surface potential and iso-electric point of pH 9.3 for Al(OH)3. The separation process was evaluated and analysed using existing potential energy theories. Figure 1 shows a micrograph of the surface of an unmodified and the Al(OH)3 –modified surface of nickel slag fiber."

Jan 1, 2003

By A-M Fleury

There has been much progress on the issue of acid drainage over the past 20 years; however, significant challenges remain. The International Network for Acid Prevention (INAP) is attempting to address them by globally coordinating acid drainage information sharing and research. INAP pursues three branches of activities: it links AD research, practice, and people; it organises, sponsors, and participates in regional workshops as a forum for technology transfer; and it instigates and funds key acid drainage research projects. Through these activities INAP is helping the industry deal with what is arguably its most serious legacy issue.

Jan 1, 2003

By Fred N. Kissell

This handbook describes effective methods for the control of mineral dusts in mines and tunnels. It assumes the reader is familiar with mining. The first chapter deals solely with dust control methods, regardless of the application. It is a brief tutorial on mining dust control and will be of help to the reader whose dust control problem does not conveniently fit any of the mining equipment niches described in later chapters. The subsequent chapters describe dust control methods for different kinds of mines and mining equipment. This includes underground coal and hard-rock mines, as well as surface mines, stone mines, and hard-rock tunnels. Because dust sampling has so many pitfalls, a chapter on methods used to sample dust is included. For those occasions when there is no practical engineering control, a chapter on respirators is also included. Except for those listed as ?future possibilities? in the longwall chapter, the dust control methods described are practical and cost-effective for most mine operators. If controlling dust were a simple matter, dust problems in tunnels and mines would have been eradicated years ago. Unfortunately, most underground dust control methods yield only 25% to 50% reductions in respirable-sized dust. Often, 25% to 50% reductions are not enough to achieve compliance with dust standards. Thus, mine operators must use several methods simultaneously, usually without knowing for sure how well any individual method is working. In fact, given a 25% error in dust sampling and day-to-day variations in dust generation of 50% or more, certainty about which control methods are most effective can be wanting. Nevertheless, over the years, some consensus has emerged on the best dust control practices. This handbook summarizes those practices.

Jan 1, 2003

By A. A. EI-Geassy

High-grade iron ore fines rejected from the DRI plants (>96%Fe2O3) were isothermally reduced in 30-60%CO/H2 gas mixtures at 973-1273K. The freshly reduced reaction products were then subsequently carburised in either Hz/CO or H2/CO/S mixtures at 823-1 073K for 30-120 min. The thermogarvimetric technique was used to follow up both of reduction and carburisation reactions as a function of time. The carburised samples were characterized by X-ray and Mossbauer techniques. Chemical and carbon analyses were also applied. The influence of temperature and gas composition on the reduction behavior was investigated. The calculated values of apparent activation energy, application of gas-solid mathematical formulations were correlated with the microstructures to predict the reduetion mechanism. The influenee of carburization time, temperature, CO contents in H2/CO or H2/CO/S were investigated. A conversion extent of Fe to Fe3C was taken as a measurable index for the efficiency of carburization rcaction under the different experimental conditions.

Jan 1, 2003

By Xiaodong Jia, Williams. Richard A.

This paper describes the recent developments, arising from research at Leeds, in the computer modelling of packing of complex shaped particles and prediction of physical properties of the structures represented by the packing. The computer model DigiPac, is capable of packing particles of any shapes and sizes in a container of arbitrary geometry. The ability to predict packing structure of real particle shapes and to compute directly some structure-dependent physical properties (such as liquid permeability, mechanical strength/ stability, compaction and sintering, dissolution and leaching, etc.) is obviously highly desirable and has significant potential in industrial applications. Examples are presented relating to the packing of granular materials.

Jan 1, 2003

By Daniela Venter, Stephen Chryssoulis, Ken Stowe

"A sampling campaign was conducted at Kemess in order to identify and assess the chemical and physical factors, which control free gold flotation kinetics in the rougher and cleaner circuits. The rationale behind this approach was that accurate knowledge of the parameters affecting free gold flotation kinetics, can be used to determine how to accelerate free gold flotation. Collected samples were composites of 5-6 cuts over a four-hour period, at steady plant conditions.In the rougher circuit, coarser equidimensional gold particles floated ahead of the finer grained and the flaky gold. Sulphur followed by molybdenum and to a lesser extent silver enhanced gold flotation kinetics, while hydroxyl followed by carbonate ions induced depression."

Jan 1, 2003

By Karl J. C. Harries

"11.1. INTRODUCTIONA royalty is the most common form of interest retained by an owner who is disposing of his property or by a joint venturer who ceases, voluntarily or otherwise, to participate in the joint venture.1 Rarely does a non-participating party have a direct interest in the property and/or assets of a project, except during the period when a non-participating joint venturer may be having his interest diluted.2 In fact, it is most unwise to permit a non-participating party to have such an interest. It may give rise to significant problems that could prevent or substantially delay the development of an orebody and require a considerable amount of time, effort, and money to correct.3In negotiating a royalty, it is important to be aware that there is no law or convention that says, “You just don’t do that in a royalty agreement.” As with any agreement, inventiveness and flexibility on the part of the negotiator are not just assets, but virtual necessities. It is also for this reason that it is essential to read the royalty provisions, particularly the definitions, fully and carefully, especially if you are the recipient. On the other hand, if your inventiveness and flexibility cause your accountant to question the advisability of one of your ideas, pay close attention to him.4 He will, no doubt, have had experience with many royalties, and no competent professional adviser disparages a client’s ideas without good reason. Besides, he will probably be the person who will be determining the royalty or certifying the determination of it. At the very least, he will be auditing your general financial statements, which must, of course, reflect the royalty determination. Heeding his advice not only may make the determination easier but also will probably save you money in professional fees later on. Nevertheless, do not simply accept his comments or recommendations without understanding what they mean, why they have been made with respect to your royalty agreement (sometimes professionals have comments that they make as a matter of course and, even though they may be valid, you should require them to be justified to you), and how they will affect your royalty determination.It is surprising how many corporate payors insist that their standard royalty provisions5 be used as a matter of policy, thereby effectively tying the negotiator’s hands. It is even more surprising, and to professional advisers frightening, how many of the senior employees who insist that such a policy be adhered to, virtually without variation, do not know what is in the standard provisions and would be hard-pressed to explain them to a property owner. If standard provisions are appropriate, by all means use them, but do allow experienced and sensible negotiators some flexibility and make sure that everyone within the corporation who may have to use such provisions – negotiator and supervisor alike – knows what they contain and why they are as they are. For example, there are often good and convincing reasons to describe a deduction in a certain way or to include a certain specific type of deduction. On the other hand, quite often the answer to the question “why?” is that “it has always been there”; this is, or should be, an unacceptable answer. In any event, if you, as the negotiator, appear to know what you are talking about, are familiar and comfortable with your royalty provisions, and are backed up by your boss with the same words or reasoning, a property owner cannot help but be satisfied that you are knowledgeable, even if he still does not agree with your provisions. Finally, if you do use standard provisions, make sure that they are reviewed and updated regularly."

Jan 1, 2003

By Yoshihiko Maeda

It is said that the 21st century will be an era of the remedy of the global environment. In order to reserve natural resources for the future and to avoid the dispersion of heavy metals after usage and to avoid pollution problems, it is extremely important to recycle heavy metals as much as possible by reasonable recovery procedures. The nonferrous metal industry is expected to play a important role in the recycling of heavy metals that are originally their products. From the depressed metal price experienced in Japan in 1980'h due to the sudden change in current exchange rate between US dollar and Japanese yen, one of major nonferrous metal company, Dowa Mining, has diversified its business area not only to the so-called down stream, but also to the environmental business including metal recycling, industrial waste treatment and soil remediation by utilizing technologis and facilities once used or still used for mining and smelting of copper, zinc, lead and precious metals. In this paper some of these applications will be presented.

Jan 1, 2003

By R. C. M. Minnitt, W. Dr. Assibey-Bonsu, F. A. Camisani-Calzolari

Born in Bothaville (OFS) on the 26th August 1919, Daniel G. Krige grew up in Krugersdorp on the West Rand. Hematriculated from Monument High School in Krugersdorpin 1934 at the age of 15 and graduated with a B.Sc. (Eng.)degree in mining engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand at the end of 1938 (age 19). In 1938 he joined Anglo Transvaal where he worked on a number of gold mines until 1943, gaining a wide range of valuable practical experience in surveying, sampling and ore valuation. He then joined the Government Mining Engineer’s Department where he worked for 8 years during which time he participated in the uranium negotiations with the British and American authorities and designed the uranium pricing formula for the contracts which led to the establishment of South Africa's profitable uranium industry in the early 1950s. During the same period he began his pioneering work in the application of mathematical statistics to the valuation of new gold mines using a limited number of boreholes and of ore reserves for existing mines. His early papers in the application of mathematical statistics, some republished in French, created world-wide interest that led to the development of the science and concepts that surround the spatial evaluation of mineral resources and reserves known as geostatistics. This technique has contributed to improved ore evaluation techniques as well as the reduction of the financial risks associated with investment in mining enterprises. Furthermore, it led to the recognition of his contributions to the evaluations of mineral deposits through the coining of the term ‘kriging’ that is used to describe a spatial mineral evaluation process known and practised in international mining circles. He continued his work in geostatistics throughout his career as Group Financial Engineer of the Anglovaal Group until his retirement in1981 and afterwards for ten years as Professor of Mineral Economics at the Witwatersrand University. He is still active as a consultant and is a registered Professional Engineer. He has published some 90 technical papers both locally and overseas, some in Russia, and has lectured and participated in international congresses in many countries. His contributions were recognized by the Witwatersrand University through the award of the D.Sc. (Eng.) degree in1963, by three honorary degrees (from the universities of Pretoria, UNISA and Moscow State Mining University), by many awards from the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the International Association for Mathematical Geology, Die Suid Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, the SME of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the International APCOM Council in1999, the University of Antofagasta in Chile, and by the South African President (Order for Meritorious Service, Class 1, Gold). He has served on various Government committees, notably that for State Aid for gold mines (1967/8) and designed the State Aid formula which enabled many mines to survive a period of low gold prices; also various taxation committees, and the mining mission to Iran in 1974. He is a fellow and/or honorary life member of various technical societies locally and overseas, including the Royal Society of South Africa. During the period in the Government service he also handled several of the post-war lease applications in the Free State and Klerksdorp goldfields. The fact that decisions on new gold mines of critical importance to the State and the economy as a whole, were being taken on a limited number of drillholes without any scientific analysis of the risks of failure, stimulated him to start basic research into ore evaluation. His approach was based on the application of Mathematical Statistics to these problems, an approach of which very little was known world-wide at that stage but which had already been initiated in South Africa by Sichel via the lognormal frequency distribution model. In Krige's 1951 paper published in the Journal of the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa he covered the statistical explanation of the conditional biases in ore block valuations and stimulated the use by several gold mines of regression corrections for routine ore reserve valuations, a technique which, in effect, was the first use on an elementary basis of what is now known as kriging. His 1952 paper introduced, inter alia the basic geostatistical concepts of ‘support’, ‘spatial structure’,’ selective mining units’ and ‘grade-tonnage curves’. His 1951 paper was based on his M.Sc. (Eng.) thesis submitted in the Department of Mining Engineering to the University of the Witwatersrand, and expounded his pioneering work in geostatistics in more detail. His early research papers that had stimulated interest in several mining circles overseas, were republished in French in1955, resulting in a major research effort by French mining engineers in this field. This, in turn, led to the establishment of the now world-renowned French school of ore evaluation in Fontainebleau, Le Centre de Geostatistique de l’École des Mines de Paris. As the Group’s Financial Engineer at the Anglovaal Head Office until his retirement in 1981, he was responsible for

Jan 1, 2003

By Knut L. Sandvik, Erik Larsen

Crystalline silicon solar cells are the most important solar cells manufactured today. This will most probably remain the situation the next decade. The future silicon feedstock is most likely not reject from the production of electronic-grade silicon. There will probably be a more direct solar-grade silicon route, excluding the electronic-grade silicon "detour". Estimated global solar energy demand in 2001 required approximately 5,500 tons of silicon feedstock. This required 65,000 tons of quartz. If the trend continues, the solar energy demand in 2010 would require approximately 30,000 tons of silicon feedstock and 350,000 tons of quartz, although the need for quartz probably will be lower than this. Quartzite has been regarded as the most suitable primary raw material used in the silicon solar cell production chain. This may change as the raw material requirements for the production of metallurgical-grade silicon are most likely to change. In addition, quartz or other silica-containing minerals from other rocks may be of a higher purity or contain lesser amounts of the most harmful elements. This favours increased beneficiation of primary raw materials in the future solar silicon feedstock production chain.

Jan 1, 2003

By I. Hague

Support liners for underground applications include steel and timber sets, meshing and lacing, screen/mesh, shotcrete and thin support liners (superskins). Over the past few years, major advances have been made in the design and application of liners; especially shotcrete and thin support liners. For shotcrete in mines these advances include the common use of slick-lines to solve logistics problems, the design of alkali free accelerators, the use of synthetic fibres and the new generation application equipment. The field of thin support liners is a new one but advances have been dramatic. This paper discusses the progress made and the need for standardization in definitions and testing for thin support liners. It concludes that the newer technologies have a huge potential positive impact on the industries, from both safety and cost points of view. Le chemisage de soutènement pour extraction souterraine comprend des cadres d’acier ou de boisage, mailles et chapeau, cribles/mailles, béton projeté et des chemisages minces de soutènement (super-peaux). Dans les dernières années, des progrès considérables ont été fait dans la conception et application des chemisages, en particulier les chemisages de soutènement en béton projeté et les chemisages minces. Pour le béton projeté dans les mines, ces progrès comprennent l’utilisation courante de lignes de minerais broyés fin pour résoudre des problèmes de logistique, la création d’accélérateurs sans alcali, l’usage de fibres synthétiques et d’une nouvelle génération d’outillage. Le domaine des chemisages minces de soutènement est très récent mais les progrès ont été rapides. Cette étude présente les progrès accomplis et discute du besoin de standardisation dans les définitions et les tests pour chemisages minces de soutènement. La conclusion est que les technologies nouvelles présentent un énorme impact potentiel positif sur les industries, du point de vue à la fois de la sécurité et de la rentabilité. Unterstützungsverkleidungen für Untertaganwendungen inkludieren Flecht und Seilwerk, Gitter/Geflecht, Spritzbeton und dünne Unterstützungsverkleidungen (superskins). Während der letzten Jahre wurden grosse Fortschritte im Design und in der Anwendung der Verkleidungen gemacht; besonders bei Spritzbeton und dünnen Unterstützungsverkleidungen. In Bezug auf Spritzbeton in den Gruben schließen diese Fortschritte den allgemeinen Gebrauch von Rutschbahnen ein um Logistikprobleme zu lösen, das Design von alkalifreien Akzeleratoren, den Gebrauch von synthetischen Fasern und die neue Generation von Anwendungsausrüstung. Der Bereich der dünnen Unterstützungsverkleidungen ist neu, aber die Fortschritte sind drastisch gewesen. Diese Arbeit behandelt den erzielten Fortschritt, die Notwendigkeit der Normierung in den Definitionen und in der Prüfung dünner Unterstützungsverkleidungen. Sie kommt zum Schluß, daß die neueren Technologien, sowohl vom Gesichtspunkt der Sicherheit als auch der Kosten, eine sehr große potentielle positive Auswirkung auf die Industrien haben.

Jan 1, 2003