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By Igor Plaksin

Interaction of sulfide minerals and native metals with reagents in flotation is largely determined by particle-surface changes resulting from action of the medium and dissolved gases. A number of early studies were devoted to the selective action of various gases on minerals.1 Mc- Lachlan2 paid attention to oxygen as the most active gas affecting flotation properties of sulfide minerals.

Jan 3, 1959

By Corale Brierley

The effect of hydrogen peroxide (H202) on growth and respiration of Thiobacillus thiooxidans and Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, organisms involved in acid leaching of copper sulfide minerals and uarnium oxides, was examined. Oxygen uptake and growth by T. thiooxidans were totally inhibited after contact with 0.82 mM H202. Complete inhibition of oxygen uptake by T. ferrooxidans occurred at 8.75 mM H202, and growth was inhibited after 6 hr exposure to 2.06 mM H202. Higher concentration of H202 can be used without detriment to thiobacilli if it is dissipated prior to reaching the oxidation pond or dump surface.

Jan 1, 1980

By Richard P. Rothwell

The ores treated by the Canada Consolidated Gold Mining Company at Deloro, Ontario, have been described in a paper read before the Institute in 1881. They are gold-bearing arsenical sulphurets of iron (mispickel), carrying the theoretical proportions of 42 per cent. of arsenic, 20 per cent. of sulphur, and the remainder iron. The gangue is quartz, calc spar, and some talcose, slaty rock, evidently resulting from the decomposition of the wall-rock, which on each side of the veins is syenitic granite. The treatment of the ore consists of: 1. Crushing. 2. Concentrating.

Jan 1, 1883

By R. L. Grayson, Y. J. Wang

This paper presents an application of goal programming (GP) to major mining machinery purchases based on historical operating data on mechanical downtime and production. The GP technique, an extension of integer programming, is used to maximize an objective function comprised of deviations away from management-preferred financial goals. Different capital budgeting techniques are used to evaluate capital proposals, and the results of these analyses are combined and weighted in a maximization of profits objective function. The GP method gives an optimal solution to a multiple goal problem. A sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the effect of a variable production improvement condition or a variable budget control con¬dition on proposal selection.

Jan 1, 1984

Robert H. Richards, Boston, Mass.: Mr. Goodale calls attention to the difficulty of obtaining clean tailings from the jigs which are fed by the spigots of the hydraulic separator. This difficulty is universally encountered. The Lake Superior copper mills practically overcome it by running the beds of those jigs loose, carrying into the hutch all of the available copper and some sand. These hutches are again jigged upon threesieve Collom jigs, where the treatment is very slow and gentle; and on the successive jigs lighter and lighter bedding is used. The last sieve is run thin enough to let some sand into the hutch. With these precautions most of the free copper is extracted, as well as a fair proportion of the included copper.

Jan 1, 1897

By R. O. Burt

The economics of recovering slimes by gravity concentration, except in a few highly specialized cases, was hampered by the lack of suit- able high capacity equipment. However, in the last decade increasing cost of power and reagents, coupled with the development of high capacity units, has led to a reappraisal of the benefits of slime gravity concentration. This paper seeks to analyze the merits of gravity concentration, and the constraints placed upon it by the laws of motion. It traces the recent developments of unit processes, and their application to a wide range of minerals. The economics of gravity concentration are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1980

By James R. Walpole

This paper will discuss the federal laws and regulations that are related to water quality. Both surface and underground water quality issues will be covered as well as point and nonpoint source requirements. Some of the subjects to be covered include the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (e.g., effluent guidelines, nonpoint source requirements, etc.), the Safe Drinking Water Act (e.g., underground injection control requirements; pits, ponds, and lagoons study, etc.), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (e.g., mining wastes study, etc.). The importance of related court decisions will also be discussed

Jan 1, 1982

By Akira Yazawa, Alžbeta Gubcova

RECENT lead-smelting techniques have tended toward use of high-grade concentrates with minimum amounts of flu, accompanied by profitable employment of roast reaction.1-5 In order to better understand these smelting processes, thermodynamical calculations have been carried out on the Pb-S-0 system, and the results obtained have been presented in isothermal reaction diagrams in which log Ps, and logPo, were the axes. The diagram thus constructed seems to be more convenient to grasp the equilibrium aspect than those published hitherto.6-8

Jan 1, 1968

By Larsen. Edward P.

The principle of "bed blending" in the agglomeration of materials is about 56 years old, but de- spite all education via technical papers, operating reports and results from functioning installations, the concepts of blending are still somewhat vague. Confusion exists between "mixing", "blending," and the basic role of each. The terms "blending" and mixing" are often used interchangeably, yet they describe two different processes. As properly understood and applied, a blend is a combination of different varieties of material which produces a desired quality, or the mingling of different elements to form a harmonious whole. In other words, blending is a process of combining granular materials by mechanical means, wherein the final product, or a portion thereof, must contain an exact proportional amount of every one of the several different materials which contributed to the mass and wherein all particles are so thoroughly intermingled with each other as to have lost their individual identities and become a part of the whole so that when a portion of the blend is taken at any time it will be substantially identical, chemically and physically, to any other portion taken throughout.

Jan 1, 1962

By D. Y. Geng, S. S. Peng

Surface subsidence of two longwall panels, one with a private residence and the other with an arch bridge, was monitored over a period of 1 to 1' ½ years. Surface subsidence data were analyzed in terms of zone of advance influence and delay angle of maximum subsidence velocity. The variational characteristics of both features coincide with the periodic weighting at the advancing longwall face. Surface heaving in the subsidence process can also be attributed to periodic weighting. It was found that residential damages occurred when subsidence velocity exceeded 4.5 mm/day (0.15 ft/day). The effects of locating structures on the panel center and near the gob edges are illustrated. The effect of mining on ground water was also discussed. Finally, methods of reducing structural damages are recommended.

Jan 1, 1984

By John L. Hill

Cutter roof failure is a specific type of ground control problem which frequently results in massive roof failure. It is a common occurrence in coal mines of the Northern Appalachian Coal Basin, causing delays in production and posing a safety hazard to mine personnel. The Bureau of Mines is conducting research on the causes of cutter roof failure to gain a basis from which to prevent its occurrence and to support such roof when failure does occur. Research conducted in a coal mine of central Pennsylvania has revealed a correlation between the occurrence of clastic dikes and formation of cutter roof failure. In-mine mapping of ground conditions showed an increase in roof failure in areas of high frequencies of clastic dikes. Rock pressure monitoring around clastic dikes registered the greatest amount of roof loading near the intersection of dikes with the rib. Load cells measuring horizontal pressure changes in the roof indicated that the greatest pressure changes were occurring perpendicular to entry headings when clastic dikes were present. Analysis of rock pressure monitoring shows that the roof behaved as two cantilever beams when severed by a clastic dike. Additional roof supports such as trusses and cribbing were found to effectively support the roof in areas of clastic dikes and prevent cutter roof failure. However, these methods were only successful when employed shortly after mining.

Jan 1, 1984

By H. U. Schutt, J. M. Toguri

REGARDLESS of the degree of purification effected during the electrorefining of copper, a danger of re-introducing impurities exists in the operation of melting and casting of the refined copper. Logically only a combination of the purification and casting operation would remedy the situation. A well-known method of metal purification is the "Gross"-type process, whereby a volatile halide is produced, purified, and decomposed.' In the present case, this concept was used to remove the impurities rather than to form possible volatile copper halides. The object was to produce volatile halides of the impurities present and distill these away, leaving high-purity copper. It is interesting to note that such techniques are used in spectrographic procedures in order to shorten exposure time and enhance the density of impurity lines.' In the present investigation, copper hydroxy fluoride was used, since the temperature of decomposition of copper hydroxy fluoride and the melting point of copper nearly coincide. The fluorine released by the thermal decomposition of copper hydroxy fluoride purges the molten copper. Copper hydroxy fluoride was prepared by dissolving high-purity copper in nitric acid and adding hydrofluoric acid and ammonium hydroxide in the required proportions. The melt was made in a high-purity graphite crucible heated by an induction furnace. Trial experiments showed that impurities can be introduced from the crucible material. Therefore, preceding each cast, the crucible itself was cleaned by decomposing copper hydroxy fluoride and discarding the residual copper. Best experimental conditions were obtained by adding 30 g of copper hydroxy fluoride to 500 g of nor-

Jan 1, 1967

By Charles W. Goodale

The attention of the Institute has been called by Prof. John A. Church* and Mr. W. Lawrence Austin? to the free-milling ores of the Tombstone mines and their treatment, but the silver-bearing man ganese ores of the district have received only a passing notice. As these ores show some interesting peculiarities, and have yielded not less than 750,000 ounces of silver, they are worthy of some study. The Knoxville, Lucky Cuss, Luck Sure, and Wedge mines (named in the order of their importance) are situated along the northern border of the district. They have been the leading producers of this manganese ore, and possess the same general characteristics. Special attention will be given to the Knoxville, as it has been the one most extensively developed. The limestone belt, in which the Knoxville ore bodies occur, has an easterly and westerly trend, is about 1680 feet wide, and rests on granite on the north, the plane of contact being nearly vertical. It is overlain by quartzite, the contact-plane having a dip of 82°. Some mining has been done along these contacts, and a considerable amount of pay ore has been extracted, but development has been very superficial. The ore found along these contact planes contains very little manganese, and differs entirely from the ore in the lime stones. No attempt will he made to assign this limestone country-rock to a particular geological horizon, as no fossils have been found in it. Prof. Blake, in a paper on "The Geology and Veins of Tombstone, Arizona" (Trans., x., 334), speaks of the middle and upper strati-

Jan 1, 1889

By Richard Franchot

DISCUSSION of a paper is sometimes more in-teresting in what has not been said than in what is said. In the present case the paper is mainly directed to certain thermo-dynamic relation-ships in the blast furnace. Careful reading of the dis-cussion fails to show a single use of the term, heat unit, or its equivalent. If we wish to know very-much about the furnace action it is necessary to count calories or B.t.u. Nothing much is. said about the availability of heat at high temperatures, although it will be generally admitted that in seeking underlying limiting factors in the furnace economy the hearth heat relations offer-the most promising clues. Those discussing the paper, with exceptions of course, apparently have failed to recognize an outstand-ing fact. It is a fact that the heat actually generated by the air oxygen in CO formation (including the blast heat) is in excess, after charging off radiation, etc., by from 70 to .90 per cent over the heat absorbed in melting the iron and slag and calcining the stone reduction by CO absorbing no heat. The fact stands out as plainly as does the fact that the furnace functions largely as a gas producer. The surplus heat is there. It is in the picture. Why not take a look at it, face the fact? That the surplus heat is necessitated by the hearth conditions admits of very little if any doubt. The furnace is really two separate pieces of apparatus: the hearth, doing certain work, and the superimposed shaft, doing certain other work. The combustion of fuel in the hearth, primarily serving the hearth pur-poses, generates much more heat and gas than the shaft requires, or can use, in smelting work. The result is surplus heat makes still more gas in the heat-absorbing reaction between CO, and coke; what is left of the surplus going to top heat. Here we have a simple yet adequate sketch of the furnace action. Having obtained a fairly comprehensive view of the existing heat relations of both hearth and shaft, the way to improvement seems quite plain. Either do more of the work above the hearth or put more heat into the hearth. Since there is already a great surplus of heat above the hearth, probably little needs to be done by way of increasing the proportion of the work done in the shaft. The shaft can, however, probably do much more work than it is now doing provided that a way, can be found to get more work, done in the hearth. The hearth heat is nicely balanced. Losses by radiation and water cooling and other losses are already taken care of. Any increase of hearth heat development could be utilized in taking care of increased smelting work. Aside from the possibility of increased blast heat, there is one sure way of putting more heat into the hearth, and this is to blow more air. And since the shaft already has more gas than it needs, the increased gas resulting from the greater blast volume can be withdrawn from the bosh after it has done its work in the hearth. Now an increase of burden will cool the shaft, cut down solution loss and thereby supply addi-tional coke in the hearth to burn with the additional air blown. The hearth heat per pound of coke charged will be proportionately increased. The balance between hearth and shaft will be better. Gruener's ideal will be more nearly attained, if not exceeded. Most inter-esting of all perhaps, the more the burden is increased, the more coke will reach the hearth and the more burden can be added. The effect is to be cumulative.

Jan 3, 1927

Oregon State Agricultural College, School of Mines, Corvallis, Ore Available publications of the old Bureau of Mines and Geology of Idaho have lately been distributed through the School of Mines of Oregon State College As the School of Mines was abolished in the summer of 1932, all of the bulletins and publications available have been turned over to the State College Library for distribution. At present plans have not been completed for further distribution For information on available publications, address: Director of Libraries, Oregon State College, Corvalhs, Oregon

Jan 1, 1933

By Ahmad Saberian

Five salt samples 20 to 40 cm tall, sealed on all sides except one, were exposed to a series of dissolution tests in various brine solutions and at different temperatures. Solvents were in the 50 to 96% saturation range and the temperatures varied between 40°F and 150°F. The collected dissolution data sets for vertical salt surfaces were analyzed and three were selected to be used for developing a general relation. After various curve fitting efforts, an empirical relation for salt dissolution rate as a function of brine temperature and salinity was developed.

Jan 1, 1985

By K. R. Crocker

PRIMARY blasting at the open pit of the Cananea Consolidated Copper Co. has been developed to meet several conditions peculiar to the operation. Mining at Cananea is not confined to the open pit but is in conjunction with the underground mine which has been in operation for many years. Several old stopes included in the pit area were filled with waste obtained in stripping for the pit. The main haulage tunnel for the underground ore passes directly under one section of the pit and at present is but 180 ft below the pit floor. The pit as originally laid out called for an overall final pit limit slope of 60°. However, the upper 275 ft - a fairly soft oxidized capping, was carried at a 50° slope and the lower benches, which constitute 750 ft in combined height, are being mined to an over-all final slope of 60°.

Jan 6, 1950

By John F. Abel

The following quotation is from "Guidelines for evaluation of undergraduate curricula in geological engineering, mineral processing, and mining engineering" prepared by the Committee on Education of SME of AIME. "The objectives of the Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD), as delineated in its constitution, are: (a) To promote and advance all phases of engineering education with a view to the promotion of the public welfare through the development of the better educated engineer and engineering technician." (Italics added.) The problem is that no one has as yet seriously developed a method of supplying engineering technicians. There were great hopes that the expansion of junior colleges would help satisfy this need. Sadly, they have not; and it appears they are unwilling or unable to supply the need for mineral engineering technologists. Apparently, the junior colleges cannot afford staff for such courses, even when the colleges are located in mining districts.

Jan 1, 1971

The war story of the engineer corps at home and in France is told officially for the first time in the advance sheets of the War Department's brief history of American war efforts. Many of these accomplishments have been published before as isolated incidents, but they gave no idea of the extraordinary duties modern warfare has laid upon engineering troops. In the engineering units that reached the other side, there were seven regiments and two battalions of railway construction engineers; five battalions for maintenance of way; two battalions for maintenance of railway equipment; four regiments and one battalion to operate the main American railways in France; three regiments to operate light railways and their repair shops; two regiments to operate the regular railway repair shops; two regiments and six separate battalions on general construction work; two regiments for storing and transporting engineer supplies; a forestry regiment; a light-railway construction regiment; a roadbuilding regiment; a water-supply regiment; a mining regiment; a quarrying regiment; a technical regiment for surveying and sound ranging; three survey and printing battalions; two railway transportation battalions; an electrical and mechanical regiment; several separate companies to operate cranes; a camouflage service; five inland waterway companies, to operate canal boats and the like; five pontoon trains and a pontoon

Jan 6, 1919