Search Documents

By Boyd Wise

A jet pump injector was developed and successfully tested, thereby demonstrating the feasibility of a jet injector for introducing coarse coal into an operating slurry face haulage system: In Phase I a variety of injection concepts were evaluated, and the jet pump was identified as best, due to its simplicity, compactness and performance potential. In Phase IIA subscale jet pump injector tests were conducted, and a computer model of a jet pump injector was developed whose performance predictions correlated well with subscale test results. In Phase IIB various system configurations were defined for integrating a jet pump injector into a fully operational underground coarse slurry face haulage system, further highlighting the feasibility and practicality of such a system. In Phase III a full-scale mobile haulage vehicle embodying a jet pump injector and coal sizing equipment was detail designed into a practical vehicle with attractive performance characteristics. More importantly, fully operational full scale jet pump injector -and feeder/breaker subassemblies were tested and proven successful in their ability to down-size coal to 3" in all 3 dimensions and to consistantly provide slurry of 4217 weight concentration at 6.4 TPM throughput under a wide range of operating conditions including zero to maximum feed rate within 5 seconds.

Jan 1, 1985

By Robert S. Schechter

This report describes the development and application of PHASEQ/FLOW, a geochemical flow simulator capable of describing the dynamic changes in chemical composition of an aqueous solution during flow in a permeable medium. The solution components can react through intraaqueous reactions, redox, precipitation, or dissolution. The assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium ensures maximum generality with respect to the number of species and components possible; however, the fluid flow itself is limited to one-dimension. The report describes several applications: generic batch equilibria, flowing equilibria, uranium roll-front deposition, and roll-front leaching.

Jan 1, 1985

[nnuu,uIII) 111 thst?r5 Arr ~IYts, It ur t to 1rllliis% IbkI a:kNIII&apos; ti;Yrst k,aI t.LIIIIISC With :$&apos; ILIIIH111, ,Ir dclrlwns n,,ls Ix? nrit?~,s,il l, I&apos;¬ PC ,Irl;411ntI ,,rii iii Iklici ?I Lc y,ci,ri.al nullkII( kti :,s l,rl}?WS tiuouu,arS Ikkrluat Slrkktrkrrr Hackt,kuurul Sirr atstl { 3rr?.nLi:.,kinn ( I&apos;r,I]A]lhli l)kslrklklktl,ln I)l&apos;I1tiiriull,- [irutISl]rr ilir.tttt~n l .ti and V4-?ltl I rc 1ut l, t;~ k?&apos;.LILI,!,srslk+a, Mid OVA-1 101MIL11k t`llllkklt: I&apos;ru, ? ?inu Pn,rlnr&apos;r, 1nr 1 k ulr ,111,1 It1(Il1<Irl&apos; C:urrrnl Rt ir.,rrl, mtI AAIililit:,kir,II.]

Jan 1, 1985

By T. A. Ring

The bed filtration of colloidal particles has been modeled by performing a differential particle balance. The balance considered the localized particle deposition rate to be the sum of three rate resistances: mass transfer to a region near the surface, adhesion onto a partially filled surface, and resuspension from a partially filled surface. The differential particle balance equations, one for the free particles and one for the adhered particles, were solved by a finite difference algorithm. Results of this model are compared to experimental filter breakthrough curves.

Jan 1, 1985

By P. A. Cox

Guidelines are provided for the design of explosion-proof electrical enclosures that will meet MSHA certification requirements according to Part 18, Title 30, of the Code of Federal Regulations, and fulfill their intended service underground. The guide covers only those aspects of design which affect enclosure strength, ruggedness, endurance and flame path, i. e., the enclosure ability to properly contain an internal explosion. Internal static and explosion pressures, external impact and thermal heating load are treated as well as the proper selection of materials and welding procedures.

Jan 1, 1985

By James S. Goff, Stephen J. Navin, Wesley W. Moulton

The White River Shale Oil Corporation (WRSOC), as agent for Phillips Petroleum Company, Sohio Shale Oil Company, and Sun Shale Oil Company, is developing a prototype oil shale facility on Federal Lease Tracts Ua and Ub, located in northeastern Utah and known as the White River Shale Project (WRSP). The Ralph M. Parsons Company (Parsons) has been retained as the design engineer/constructor for the project. This paper covers the successful pregrouting of the Bird&apos;s Nest Aquifer in conjunction with the sinking of a 9.2-m (30-ft)-diameter shaft and driving of a 3.89-m by 5.64-m (18.5-ft by 12.75-ft) decline. The Bird&apos;s Nest Aquifer derives its name from the ellipsidal solution cavities caused by leaching of random-size nacholite nodules. The sodium bicarbonate nodules occur as persistent bands within a matrix of siltstone and marlstone. The team, made up of the owner, engineer/contractor, and subcontractor successfully grouted the shaft down to an inflow of less than 0.06 lps (1 gmp) and the decline down to less than 0.12 lps (2 gpm) by injecting a total of 213.190 kg (470,000 lb) of Celtite Terraseal, 113,400 kg (250,000 lb) of limestone dust, and 41,730 kg (92,000 lb) of cement into the formation.

Jan 1, 1985

By J. Currie, J. McManus, R. Chenier

"Cominco Copper Division&apos;s Valley Mine is located in the Highland Valley of British Columbia, approximately 275 km by air northeast of Vancouver. The nearest towns are Logan Lake, located IS km to the east and Ashcroft, located about 50 km to the northwest.Preproduction stripping of rock and overburden at the Valley Mine&apos;s Lake Zone Pit began in mid-1982 following a decision to discontinue mining in the adjacent Jersey Pit. Equipment and mining methods were carried over from the Bethlehem Copper operations which, with Valley Copper Mines, were merged into Cominco in December 1982.Blasting practices, as carried over from the Bethlehem pits, were designed to provide the fine fragmentation required to meet production requirements using the Bethlehem crusher. However, after mining the first few benches of the Lake Zone Pit, it became apparent that overblasting at the pit limits was causing a number of bench failures, as well as contributing to an over-all reduction of the material strength of the rock mass forming the southwest wall of the pit.With present ultimate pit plans calling for the southwest wall to be as high as 300 m, Valley staff realized that potential slope stability problems should be dealt with as early as possible. This philosophy would enable experimentation on phase pit walls in order to attain the optimum slope angle on the ultimate pit wall.As part of an over-a ll slope stability program, a controlled blasting program was initiated at the Lake Zone Pit in March 1983. In this program, Valley engineering and production staff worked together with Golder Associates in establishing design criteria and evaluating the results. This program resulted in a marked improvement in the soundness of pit walls while maintaining the required degree of fragmentation."

Jan 1, 1985

By Michael J. Beus

This Bureau of Mines report describes a field experiment involving the sinking of two test shafts to directly compare the deformational behavior of circular and rectangular shapes. Results show that the circular shape is less sensitive to geologic discontinuities and applied stress field. Also, the rectangular shape is subject to a variety of behavioral modes, including beam bending and buckling. Geologic discontinuities around circular and rectangular shapes influence displacement significantly. Simple, two-dimensional elastic finite-element modeling, simulating circular and rectangular shapes in a biaxial stress field, shows that the structural response of a shaft is largely controlled by geologic structure. Consideration of anisotropy may be required for realistic analysis of a deep shaft.

Jan 1, 1985

By Roger J. Goodman, Don Riva

"IntroductionCrows Nest Resources Limited (CNRL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shell Canada Resources Limited, is nearing completion of its first coal project, located in southeastern British Columbia. CNRL shipped over 700,000 tonnes of thermal coal to foreign markets in 1982. With the completion of the metallurgical coal plant in December, 1982, shipments of both thermal and metallurgical coal will increase substantially in 1983 and will approach the anticipated operating capacity of 3.0 million tonnes in 1985. The Line Creek Mine lies some 25 kilometres north of Sparwood in southeast British Columbia (Fig. 1). The open-pit mine is located on top of Line Creek Ridge, with coal being hauled 16 km to the thermal and metallurgical coal preparation plants, situated adjacent to the already existing Canadian Pacific Railway. Most of the coal is moved by 108 car unit trains by CP Rail to coal ports in Vancouver, where it is loaded onto vessels destined for overseas markets. Some smaller scale car load shipments are moved by rail to contiguous markets in the Pacific Northwest. History The southeastern British Columbia area, known as the East Kootenays, is steeped in a rich coal mining heritage, dating back to the latter part of the nineteenth century. Predecessors of Crows Nest Resources Limited were instrumental in developing the rich coal reserves in the area. In 1887, William Fernie, a pioneer-cum-prospector recognized the potential of coal deposits in the East Kootenays. Spurred by the relentless push west of the Canadian Pacific Railway through the Crows Nest Pass area, Fernie recognized that it was just a matter of time before the steam locomotives provided him with his required market. That time arrived in 1897 when Fernie helped to form the Crows Nest Pass Coal Company and coal mining commenced at Coal Creek, near his namesake town of Fernie. During its almost 70-year history, this company produced over 48 million tonnes of steam coal and 8 million tonnes of coking coal. In 1965, the Crows Nest Pass Coal Company was re-named Crows Nest Industries, to better reflect its expanded interests into forest products, and it is the latter company which Shell Canada Resources Limited acquired in 1978. The extensive coal resources of Shell, in both Alberta and British Columbia, were rationalized into one group with the birth of Crows Nest Resources Limited to manage and develop the coal holdings."

Jan 1, 1985

By J. M. Stuve

In this Bureau of Mines investigation, the low-temperature heat capacities of polycrystalline phases corresponding to the sulfide compounds CoSO?89&apos; CoS1?33, and CoS2 were measured by adiabatic calorimetry within the nominal temperature range 5 to 300 K. The derived absolute entropies S298 were 10.36±O.02, 12.96±O.03, and 16.31±O.03 cal?mol-1?K-l, respectively, assuming third-law behavior. In addition, the standard enthalpy of formation 8Hf298 of CoSO?89 was determined by bromine solution calorimetry. The derived value of 8Hf298 was -50.63±2.1 kcal?mol-1, based on the 8Hf298 of Co0. This result is considerably more negative than previously published formation values based on high-temperature gas equilibrium studies.

Jan 1, 1985

By W. A. Jankola, M. T. Martin

"The world&apos;s first zinc pressure leaching plant at Cominco&apos;s Trail operations started production in 1981. Sullivan zinc concentrate is leached at the rate of 190 tpd in a four-compartment autoclave at elevated temperatures and oxygen pressures to produce a zinc sulphate solution and elemental sulphur. Zinc extraction exceeds 98% and sulphide to elemental sulphur conversion exceeds 95%.The sulphur is recovered from the discharged slurry in the underflow of a hydrocyclone, and is upgraded as a flotation concentrate. The concentrate is dewatered, melted and filtered to produce a polished sulphur product of better than 99% purity. An alternative sulphur recovery process employs an unique sulphur separation method that recovers over 90% of the sulphur in the molten state. The remaining sulphur is recovered by flotation following flash discharge of the slurry. The product slurry containing the zinc sulphate solution and the iron-lead residue joins the existing roast-leach zinc plant for purification and zinc electrowinning.IntroductionIn 1981, Cominco Ltd. commissioned the world&apos;s first commercial zinc pressure leaching plant at their Trail operations in British Columbia. As part of a $700 million modernization and expansion program for lead and zinc started in 1977, the company installed the first o f two autoclave trains.Prior to pressure leaching, zinc production was closely tied to acid and fertilizer production. Sulphur dioxide produced from roasting the concentrates had to be converted to sulphuric acid. Thus, any expansion of zinc operations with the roast-leach technology would have required extensive modifications to the acid and fertilizer plants as well as to the roasters. Zinc pressure leaching, on the other hand, offered a one-step dissolution of zinc from the concentrates with high extraction, and production of elemental sulphur. The associated dust and sulphur dioxide generated in the roasting process are both eliminated from the working environment of the pressure leach facility. The flexibility allowed by producing elemental sulphur, and the opportunity to break the sulphuric acid link for about 25 per cent of the targeted 272,000 tonnes per year zinc production was very appealing. The process was successfully demonstrated at a pilot plant in 1977(1-6)."

Jan 1, 1985

By A. Ignatow

"A review is made of some of the principal factors and conditions that are, and will be, important to the over-all market climate for asbestos fibre and for the future of Canada&apos;s asbestos industry: - health hazard associated with asbestos exposure;- uncertain international regulatory environment for continued asbestos use;- adverse public reaction to asbestos;- product liability/litigation costs (U.S.A. primarily);- promotion of substitution by governments and asbestos user industries; and- minimal product and market development efforts by asbestos producing and consuming industries.In addition, Canadian producers, who export some 95 per cent of their production, face additional constraints:- dramatically reduced integration with asbestos-consuming industries;- 60 per cent of exports to most rapidly declining markets (U.S.A., Europe);- increased competition from offshore producers favourably located to growth markets in developing countries;- increasing production costs;- a strong dollar;- disadvantageous freight rates; and- loss of price leadership and price erosion.Future market trends, as well as prospects for Canada&apos;s asbestos industry, will be projected in this paper.Economic FactorsTable 1 presents asbestos fibre production in all countries for the period 1980-82. In certain instances, e.g. U.S.S.R. and China, these are capacity estimates as production statistics are not officially published. The U.S.S.R, by far, is the world&apos;s largest producer accounting for some 50 per cent of world production, though most production is consumed internally or by COMECON countries. It is estimated that some 700 plants produce asbestos-containing products within the U.S.S.R.Canada accounts for some 25 per cent of world production though it ranks first in world trade. Other important producers are South Africa Zimbabwe, Brazil and Italy. Since 1979, Canada&apos;s asbestos mining industry has experienced a dramatic drop in production and exports of asbestos fibre, as demonstrated in Table 2."

Jan 1, 1985

By R. V. Ramani

This volume is the fourth of a four-volume final report on research carried out under a contract from the U.S. Bureau of Mines on the development of a computer simulation model for surface mine reclamation planning. The other volumes are titled as follows: Volume I: Ore Reserve Estimation, Volume II: Dragline Model, and Volume III: Mine Coordinate Generator System. The Open Pit Materials Handling Simulator (OPMHS) was first developed" in 1971 and modified and updated in 1975. The present work is an update of the 1975 version and provides a direct link between the geology and reserves system and the various activities of the mining equipment in a mining system. Also, the modeling techniques in OPMHS/2 have incorporated a flexible method for describing various equipment (shovels, trucks, belts, trains, etc.), locations, their sequence of operations, place changes, and their interactions. These features allow for studying mining equipment selection, mining method analysis and reclamation planning. This report describes the Open Pit Materials Handling Simulator Version 2 (OPMHS/2). The report details the program features, operation, and application. Through an extensive set of appendices, the data input sequence, input variable definitions, sample data listing and program output are presented in detail.

Jan 1, 1985

By Theodore S. Jordan

The discovery of a major porphyry-type copper deposit on the Papago Indian Reservation in Pinal County, Arizona was announced by El Paso Natural Gas Company in 1968. The deposit, known as the Lakeshore Property, contained an estimated 470 million tons of sulfides and oxides averaging 0.75 percent copper. History and Geology of the area have been described by Harper and Reynolds (1969). El Paso subsequently&apos; entered into the agreement for joint development of the property with Hecla Mining Company, with Hecla as the operator. The ore body consisted of three types of mineralization: 1) Disseminated Oxide Ore, <1% Cu 2) Disseminated Sulfide Ore, <1% Cu 3) Tactite Ore, >1% Cu

Jan 1, 1985

By H. E. James

Much has been said and written about the need to reduce South Africa&apos;s dependence on gold. To compensate for the decline in the country&apos;s foreign-exchange earnings resulting from the phasing out of gold, which must inevitably occur at some future date, a far higher priority will have to be placed on the mining, beneficiation, and export of the 59 other mineral commodities produced in South Africa. The basic strategy of the mining and metallurgical industries should be to move from the traditional approach of establishing a resource base to the establishment of a market base; to turn from production orientation to market orientation; and to rely less on exploration and economies of scale and more on process innovation and product development. The enthusiasm, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment of the leaders in the mining and metallurgical industry will clearly be of decisive importance in the establishment of new industries for the beneficiation and export of added-value mineral-based products. The State can make a significant contribution by the provision of a welldeveloped and efficient infrastructure, including rail and harbour facilities, communications and health services, roads, and of electricity and water supplies. In our search for a new development strategy for the beneficiation and export of South Africa&apos;s minerals, we need to recognize that no one nation has all the mineralresources that it needs. Commercial and strategic manipulation of mineral supplies should no longer be tolerated. The future of the human species lies in international cooperation and in a greater understanding of the limitations of the world we live in.

Jan 1, 1985

By David L. Veith

This Bureau of Mines bibliography of U.S. and Canadian literature pertaining to revegetating coal-mined lands contains 805 references published from 1977 to 1984. Each reference is evaluated by keywords, providing the reader with a means of rapidly sorting through the references to locate only those dealing with the coal mining region and subject of interest. All references are annotated. Other sources of information are given, including Office of Surface Mining (OSM) and State reclamation agencies and other published bibliographies.

Jan 1, 1985

By Branch of Editorial Services

"The Bureau of Mines was established in the public interest to conduct inquiries and scientific and technologic investigations concerning mining and the preparation, treatment, and utilization of mineral substances; to promote health and safety in the mineral industries; to conserve material resources and prevent their waste; to further economic development; to increase efficiency in the mining, metallurgical, quarrying, and other mineral industries; and to inquire into the economic conditions affecting those industries. The organic act of the Bureau, as amended by Congress and approved February 25, 1913, made it the province and duty of the Bureau of Mines to ""disseminate information concerning these subjects in such manner as will best carry out the purposes of this Act.""In accordance with this directive, the Bureau reports the findings of its research and investigations in its own series of publications and also in articles that appear in scientific, technical, and trade journals; in proceedings of conventions and seminars; in reference books; and in other non-Bureau publications. The number of these reports, the wide range of subjects they cover, and the variety of mediums in which they appear make the kind of list and index presented in this special publication both necessary and valuable. This issue of the Bureau of Mines List of Publications and Articles describes reports and articles published during the period January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1984. It supplements the 50-year list of Bureau publications issued from July 1, 1910, to January 1, 1960;1 the 50-year list of articles by Bureau authors published outside the Bureau from July 1, 1910, to January 1, 1960;2 the 5-year lists of publications and articles from January 1, 1960, to December 31, 1964,3 from January 1, 1965, to December 31, 1969,4 from January 1, 1970, to December 31, 1974,5 and from January 1, 1975, to December 31, 1979;6 and the annual lists of Bureau publications and articles from January 1 to December 31, 1980,7 from January 1 to December 31, 1981,8 from January 1 to December 31, 1982,9 and from January 1 to December 31, 1983. 10"

Jan 1, 1985

By Flavelle IV

A survey is made of changes in the technical status of a number of western world copper extraction and refining operations over the past 20 years. Specific developments in pyro- and hydro-metallurgy and refining practices are identified together with factors in the changing environment of the industry which has influenced their adoption. Nickel extraction and refining is similarly discussed.The replacement of traditional technology by more attractive alternatives has occurred in a considerable number of operations. The develop-ment and status of new continuous smelting processes, advances in hydrometallurgy and refining innovations which emerged during the 1960s and early 1970s is discussed. The varying experience in commercial acceptance of these new technologies is noted.Finally some possible future directions are canvassed for both operators and the research and development institutions.

Jan 1, 1985

By Jonathan M. Pachter

The Bailey mining complex is located in Greene County, PA in the valley of Talley Run, a small stream tributary to the Enlow Fork of Wheeling Creek as shown on the location map insert found on Figure 1. The Bailey complex includes two Pittsburgh No. 8 Seam deep mines (Bailey and Bailey #2), a coal preparation plant, and two refuse areas (for disposal of coarse and fine processing waste). Clean coal is shipped from the complex via a 24.15 km (15 mile) rail spur, which connects to the Monongahela Railroad in Waynesburg, PA. In early 1981, Consolidation Coal Company (Consol) began a permitting effort aimed at beginning construction of Bailey, the largest underground coal mining complex to be built to date in the United States. Construction of the Bailey Mine began in December, 1981, less than six (6) months following the first application submittal. Clean coal was produced by the Bailey Preparation Plant in September, 1984. Effective project planning, including early formulation of a project planning team, identification of "red flag" issues, innovative responses to environmental questions and development of environmentally sound project designs, all contributed to the relatively quick permitting at Bailey.

Jan 1, 1985

By W. A. Gow, G. M. Ritcey, M. C. Campbell

"Uranium is a unique commodity. It is both a metal and a fuel, It has both commercial and military uses. It yields ""clean energy "" but presents environmental concerns. All of these factors have an impact on the commerce of uranium.Being a metal, uranium is extracted from ore like many other metallic minerals. As a fuel, it is subject to the vagaries of energy commodity market forces. The history of uranium in the first nuclear weapons has led to nation al governments carefully controlling production and sale of uranium. The spectre of radioactive contamination of the environment adds further to the public concern over the disposal of low-level radioactive wastes from uranium processing and use.There have been a number of excellent reviews on the commercial aspects of the uranium industry. In this discussion, these aspects will be briefly summarized to provide a general picture of the strengths of the Canadian uranium industry and the pressures to which it is being subjected currently. The principal thrust of this paper will be to outline Canada&apos;s resource strength and to identify some factors which will affect Canada&apos;s ability to continue holding a sizeable share of the world uranium market."

Jan 1, 1985