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By Khaled Morsy

Longwall mining is one of the most widely practiced underground coal mining method. The behavior of the longwall gob is very critical in the understanding of the complex ground response to longwall mining. In the limited data available, the values of gob moduli used in numerical modeling ranged from 1,000 psi to over 300,000 psi. Such a wide variation in moduli would greatly affect the results of the numerical analysis. A better understanding of the behavior of the gob will allow numerical models to be more accurate for simulating longwall mining conditions. In this study, a gob model based on the Terzaghi's model was incorporated into the comprehensive finite element package, ABAQUS, to simulate the loading behavior of longwali gob material. A case study was used to verify the proposed gob model.

Jan 1, 2002

By David J. Hatem

Tunnels and underground projects are inherently more risky than vertical projects, which typically utilize more conventional design and construction approaches and are undertaken in the context of relatively ascertained and defined conditions. On tunnel and under-ground projects, there are a host of special risk factors, including unknowns and uncertainties as to the physical and behavioral characteristics of the ground, the inextricable interdependence and necessary interaction of design decisions and construction means and methods with those ground conditions as well as the manner in which risks are allocated among project participants for un-anticipated subsurface conditions. Public-private partnerships (PPP) projects, in their own respects (and independent of any major subsurface component), pose significant risk for all private sector participants. The main driver of owners to procure projects using PPP is financial, as often all, or substantially all, of the design and construction risk are transferred to the private sector consortium, including the design-build (D-B) team. For a concerning number of those public owners, that risk transfer regime includes rather onerous and aggressive contractual terms that allocate to the private sector participants substantially all risks associated with the encountering of unanticipated subsurface conditions. These aggressive risk allocation provisions, while directly impacting project participants upstream of the consulting engineer, have an indirect and corresponding risk intensifying effect upon consulting engineer professional liability exposure. There are many factors that result in increased professional liability exposure for consulting engineers involved in PPP projects. The more prominent and prevalent of those factors fall into the following categories:

By George W. Friesen

This paper presents the historical trend and de- fines the causes of drilling cost escalation in the Gulf of Mexico during the 1970's. The three major components of escalation are: 1) inflation, 2) supply-demand imbalance (demand pull) and 3) decreases in drilling efficiency. The decade was divided into three periods. During each period one component of escalation was responsible for most of the rise in costs. From 1970 through 1973 only inflation pushed costs upward. During 1974 and 1975 a supply- demand imbalance caused most of the escalation. Since 1975, decreases in drilling efficiency have produced the major component of escalation. During any one year or period of years, the sum of the three components will give the total escalation rate. The reasons why different components contribute more toward escalation during certain years than others are shown by following the timing of oil and gas price increases, the overall quality of the acreage offered each year in offshore lease sales and the resulting drilling activity.

Jan 1, 1982

By Kotaro Ogura

"The electrolysis process in which CO2 is selectively reduced to C2H4 at a three-phase(gas/solution/metal) interface on a copper-mesh electrode has been developed in a concentrated solution of potassium halide. At open-circuit potential, CO2 is captured on the electrode by being inserted into the double-layer consisting of halide anions specifically adsorbed and potassium cations which are located in the Helmholtz inner and outer layers, respectively. CO2 thus activated is subjected to the electrochemical reduction. In the early stage of reduction, CO2 is converted to formate radicals that are adsorbed on the electrode by taking the place of halide anions. The reductive coupling of these radicals results in the formation of intermediates such as -CH2C(O)- and CH2=CH-, and C2H4 is finally produced. The catalytic activity of the electrode process involving the insertion of CO2 into the double layer is not deteriorated at all during the electrolysis, and the continuous reduction of CO2 to C2H4 is possible with the addition of inorganic acid under the assistance of natural energy.Carbon dioxide is a serious pollutant released from fossil fuel power station, internal combustion and many industrial operations. The easy release of CO2 to the air has caused the global warming, and the technique which intends to curtail CO2 by pushing it back into the ground has been suggested. However, this problem should be greatly mitigated if CO2 can be converted to innocuous substances. Especially, the reuse of CO2 as fuels and chemicals is extremely effective not only for the mitigation of the global warming but also against the depletion of the fossil fuel reserves. Several processes for converting CO2 to valuable compounds have been proposed including hydrogenation over heterogeneous catalyst at high temperature and electrochemical and photochemical reduction. In the conversion and cutback processes of CO2, however, it is of importance that the process is feasible under mild conditions, because the secondary generation of CO2 is feared if high energy is required and supplied with a fossil fuel. In this meaning, the electrochemical reduction of CO2 taking place at room temperature, which is similar to photosynthesis, is promising. From the practical point of view, it is further necessary that the conversion rate is high enough and the product is satisfactorily valuable."

Jan 1, 2008

By Brian M. Fraley

"Portions of the Catholic Total Abstinence Fountain in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, Pa., were in “imminent danger,” according to a restoration services request for proposals (RFP) issued by the City of Philadelphia in August 2014. Open voids in the subsurface beneath the foundation were causing ongoing settlement of the fountain.The fountain was unveiled in 1876 as an ornamental drinking fountain for the Centennial International Exhibition, which celebrated the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Its creation was commissioned by the Catholic Total Abstinence Union of America, an Irish temperance organization that advocated for total abstinence from alcohol. Ironically, the fountain ran dry decades ago.The now-defunct fountain features a 100 ft (30.5 m) wide granite base with three steps in the shape of a Maltese cross. The centerpiece — enclosed by a 40 ft (12.2 m) diameter basin — is a 15 ft (4.6 m) tall statue of Moses perched atop an iglooshaped marble mound. Four subsidiary statues rise from granite pedestals at the tips of each arm of the cross, including Archbishop John Carroll, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Father Theobald Mathew and Commodore John Barry.Natural and Man-Made DamageThe City of Philadelphia’s RFP called attention to three “high priority structural areas.” It was noted that Moses, Father Mathew and the steps surrounding the fountain had been documented as public hazards. The long-term effects of water infiltration had set in, eroding mortar joints and causing some stones to jut out. Furthermore, the stone base supporting the 16 ton (14.5 tonne) statue of Moses was in danger of collapsing. The statue of Father Mathew had been struck by lightning in 1910 and was repaired with an iron and metal pin anchor system, which had succumbed to corrosion. The city considered the statue of Father Mathew as the most threatened of the statues. Mike Miluski, P.E., vice president of Compaction Grouting Services (CGS), recalled “the fountain was in pretty bad shape” as he walked onto the site in August 2016 and immediately recognized the challenges ahead."

Jan 1, 2017

By P. E. Cavanagh

THIS REPORT is not intended to be a ?comprehensive survey of the steel industry in Europe. For the past ten years the Ontario Research Foundation has been interested in several developments in the steel industry in Europe which it was felt would be of particular interest in Canada and might possibly find application in this country. This is an account of the present status of some of these developments. The economies of steel making in Canada are somewhat different than in the United States because of the nature of the market and the relative costs and availability of such raw materials as metallurgical coke and electric power. There are cases in Europe where a great deal of effort and money has been spent in trying to make steel profitably by methods which take advantage of locally available and cheap raw materials by modifying standard practices. ln cases wl1ere the investigations have been successful and the data are available to allow translation of the results into Canadian conditions, it is felt that such information may be of great benefit in the future in Canada and at !east should be known to all those in the steel industry in this country. The field to be covered in this report only comprises the steps from concentration and treatment of iron ores to production of iron and is only concerned with those commercially operating processes well known to us and judged to be of present interest in Canada.

Jan 1, 1957

By Walisson Silva Gomes

A injeção de carvão pulverizado pelas ventaneiras dos altos-fornos é um dos meios de redução de custos de produção do ferro gusa. Esta injeção deve ser de forma efetiva para evitar possíveis desperdícios de combustível. Esse trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver uma metodologia de quantificação do teor de carbono na lama e no pó de coletor, gerados na limpeza de gás do alto-forno para auxiliar a avaliação da eficiência de queima do carvão injetado pelas ventaneiras e sua correlação com as variáveis de processo. Nenhuma norma especifica a quantificação de carbono na lama e no pó de coletor. Foram utilizadas duas técnicas de quantificação de carbono em carvão e coque utilizados na Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional, a Análise Imediata, baseadas na norma ASTM D 5142-09, e a Análise Elementar. Um estudo mais detalhado para investigar as possíveis interferências nesses métodos de análise, devido a diferença de resultados entre eles, foi utilizado Difração de Raio-X, associado ao método de Rietveld, e Analise Termogravimétrica de Calorimetria Exploratória Diferencial (TG-DSC). A partir dessas análises foi possível definir o melhor método para quantificação de carbono no pó de coletor e lama de alto-forno.

Aug 17, 2017

By J Brisebois

The derelict Lake George Mine is located at Captains Flat in NSW, acommunity of approximately 450, which lies some 43 km southeast ofQueanbeyan. It straddles the Molonglo River, which flows toQueanbeyan and thence the nationÆs capital, Canberra. Catastrophictailings dam failures in 1939 and again in 1943 resulted in the transportand dispersion of thousands of tonnes of sulfidic wastes downstream,with terminal settling in Lake Burley Griffin, in Canberra. The mine wasclosed in 1962, and major rehabilitation in 1996 - 1997 addressed the riskof further collapses, and reduced water flow into the underground mine.Nevertheless, acid mine drainage from the mine, and seepages ofcontaminated water from the capped tailings dumps continue to pollutethe Molonglo River for some 30 km downstream.Environmentally, the highest contributor to the total contaminant loadof the river is the Main Adit Spring. This was shown to be a constantgroundwater-driven acidic flow, with contaminant generation resultingalmost entirely from the ingress of gaseous oxygen into the undergroundworkings. Long term remediation may be possible at source, by pumpingreducing gases into the sealed mine, but the probability of thistechnology succeeding to the required degree is yet to be demonstrated. For at least the medium term, treatment of contaminated water flow(s)will be required to achieve any of the water quality targets that may beapplicable to the river. Three methodologies were short listed, but anumber of strategic uncertainties remain, which the NSW Derelict MinesProgram will address. Future risk arising from long-term contaminantrelease by the treatment wastes must be considered. Appropriate data,and realistic long-term performance parameters regarding the relativestabilities of water treatment sludges are scarce, and make properevaluation of competing technologies problematic.

Jan 1, 2003

By Mohamed Elgouhary, Carol L. Tasillo, Daniel Koziol

"The Bolivar Dam, located near the Village of Bolivar, Ohio is one of a system of dams designed to provide flood control and water conservation in the Muskingum Watershed. The Bolivar Dam is a “dry dam” that only impounds water during flood events. In order to address problematic seepage, which negatively affects the structural stability of the dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) designed a partial-depth and partial-length Seepage Barrier Wall (SBW) through the upstream slope of the dam. For this project, TREVIICOS constructed a 36 in (914 mm) positive SBW by plastic concrete panel wall method and excavated using hydromill and clamshell equipment. The plastic concrete was manufactured on-site, which allowed for enhanced quality control and prompt service. This required the installation, commissioning and operation of a concrete batch plant on-site. This paper presents the challenging aspects of the design, manufacture and placement of the plastic concrete for the SBW in order to meet contract strength and permeability requirements as well as workability requirements necessary for tremie concrete placement.Project General InformationBolivar Dam is located in Northeast Ohio (Fig. 1). It is one of a system of sixteen dam projects designed to provide flood control and water conservation in the Muskingum Basin, which covers 20 percent of the State of Ohio (Fig. 2). Bolivar Dam is on Sandy Creek, a tributary of the Tuscarawas River.The Dam has been constructed, operated and maintained by the USACE, for the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District. Its construction was completed in 1937 and it has been in operation for flood control since 1939.Bolivar Dam is a rolled earth fill dam, with a typical embankment section made of a central impervious core flanked upstream and downstream by a pervious outer shell with downstream rock toe. The embankment has a maximum height of 87 ft (26.5 m) and a crest length of 6,300 ft (1,920 m), and is comprised of the main embankment starting on the left abutment of about 1,500 ft (457 m) heading to the Northeast, followed by the terrace embankment of 4,800 ft (1,463 m) heading to the North. An upstream impervious blanket extends up to 500 ft (152 m) upstream of the dam along the majority of its length. The outlet works are to the left of the embankment, and consist of an intake structure with six gates, followed by two outlet conduits that finish in a stilling basin. To the left of the outlet works is the uncontrolled emergency spillway, which was doubled in width to 540 ft (165 m) in 1989, and excavated material utilized for construction of a stability berm against the upstream face of the main embankment. A concrete parapet wall was also installed along the upstream side of the crest during this work. In 1982, a toe drain, downstream filter berm and line of 35 relief wells were installed. The filter berm was recently extended an additional 200 ft (61.0 m) downstream and granular filters were placed over an approximate 2000 linear ft (610 m) reach of the lower terrace slope. (Fig. 3)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Deyve Drengson Carneiro Vieira

O objetivo desse trabalho é identificar a eficiência térmica do glendon de uma empresa do setor siderúrgico mineiro. Tendo em vista que quanto mais eficiente for o equipamento, maior é o aproveitamento da energia fornecida e também menor é o consumo de carvão vegetal no alto-forno, reduzindo o OPEX. Este trabalho foi um estudo de caso baseado na análise de diferentes referências bibliográficas e através de estudos prévios e dados reais. O glendon em estudo apresentou eficiência térmica de 53,1%. Estudos mais recentes apresentaram eficiência de 67,4% utilizando chicanas no interior do glendon alterando o fluxo gasoso. O combustível do glendon é o gás do topo do alto-forno recuperado. A energia proveniente da combustão representa 89% da entrada de energia no regenerador, o que mostra quão importante é uma queima estável do GAF no glendon. Observou-se um desperdício de 45,5% da energia de combustão que saem pelos gases na chaminé, sendo uma oportunidade futura de estudo para reaproveitamento dessa energia

Aug 17, 2017

By Lindaura de Souza Cândido d'Avila

O presente trabalho teve o intuito de avaliar, em planta piloto, a influência da perda de pressão de sucção dos gases de exaustão nos parâmetros de produtividade da sinterização, consumo específico de combustível, rendimento da mistura total e qualidade do sínter. Foram realizados testes com diferentes valores de pressão de sucção dos gases de exaustão controlados em 1.200, 1.000 e 800mmH2O. A partir dos resultados dos testes avaliados foi possível verificar a influência da perda de pressão de sucção dos gases de exaustão no desempenho do processo de sinterização e seu impacto na qualidade do sínter produzido. Os resultados demonstraram que com o aumento crescente da perda de pressão de sucção dos gases de exaustão ocorreu significativa queda de produtividade da sinterização, queda dos valores de índice de degradação sob redução (RDI), queda do consumo de combustível e aumento dos valores de índice de redutibilidade (IR), rendimento da mistura total e teste de tambor (TI).

Aug 17, 2017

By Isadora Dias Perez, Monica M. Jimenez Correa, Jorge A. Soares Tenorio, Denise Crocce Romano Espinosa

The generation of mining waste has been the subject of environmental, economic and social concern. Alternative and sustainable methods of recycling metals technologies are desired. The present work focuses on the application of the ion exchange technique for the extraction of metals contained in a lateritic nickel mining effluent. The Purolite S950 chelating resin was used in the present work because it has the ability to adsorb transition metals present in an acidic solution. The experiments were carried out in a batch varying the pH in the range of 0.5–2.0. 1 g of resin was placed in contact with 50 mL of solution and stirred for 120 min at a speed of 200 rpm and temperature at 25 °C. The results demonstrated that the affinity of the resin varied with pH. The adsorbed metals were only copper, manganese, magnesium and zinc. The most extracted metal was copper, corresponding to 37%, when the solution was conditioned at pH 2.0.

Mar 1, 2018

By J. Herbst, J. Groppo, A. Noble, R. Q. Honaker

"Coal and coal byproducts produced annually contain a sufficient amount of rare earth elements (REEs) to meet current U.S. demand. The REEs exist in the form of minerals, ion-adsorbed elements associated with clays, and chemically bonded elements within the organic coal matrix or host mineral. Researchers at three universities collaborated to evaluate the effectiveness of existing physical and chemical concentration processes for the recovery of the REEs. The efforts found that physical separation processes can increase the total REE content in the thickener underflow material collected from a Central Appalachian coal cleaning facility from around 300 ppm to values greater than 17,500 ppm on an ash basis. Leaching followed by solvent extraction was found to be the most effective to recover the REEs from coarse middlings materials collected from multiple coal basins, as indicated by recovery values exceeding 80 percent. Based on material characterization data and process evaluations conducted for several potential feed coal sources, economic recovery of the REEs will require byproduct production of both clean coal and REE concentrate using a process flowsheet that is unique for each source. IntroductionRecent studies initiated by the National Energy Technology Laboratory showed that U.S. coals contain significant amounts of rare earth elements (REEs), suggesting that rare earth minerals (REMs) and/or REEs can be produced as byproducts (Ekmann, 2012). According to the report, the richest source of REEs is the Central Appalachian coal. At present, there are 208 coal preparation plants located in the region consisting of areas within the states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama and Tennessee, with a total capacity of 166,495 t/h, or more than 1 Gt/y (Fiscor, 2014). If only a portion of these plants are retrofitted with advanced separation processes, the U.S. coal industry would become a significant producer of REE concentrates as byproducts. An inherent advantage of becoming a byproduct producer of REEs is that no mining cost needs to be part of the production cost."

Jan 1, 2017

By J. W. Adams

Measurements of surface magnetic field noise were made at various locations over the Geneva Coal Mine near Price, Utah, on June 12, 1973. The locations selected were on the surface over emergency locator beacons underground at depths between 3S0 meters (1150 ft.) and 488 meters (1600 ft.). The surface terrain where these measurements were made was mountainous, and access was difficult. There were no power lines within several miles, and the weather was clear; therefore, the magnetic noise levels were about as low as will normally occur. Results of measurements of distant sferics indicate rather sharp cutoff frequencies below which broadband, impulsive noise is attenuated. The mechanism of propagation for this noise above the daytime cutoff frequency of 3500 Hz and the nighttime cutoff frequency of 1700 Hz is deduced to be a waveguide formed by the D or F layers of ionosphere as an upper plane and the earth as a lower plane.

Jan 1, 1974

By Flaviani Marculano Marchesi, Silas Gambarine Soares, Elton Volkers do Espírito Santo, Felipe Fardin Grillo, Heitor Cristo Clem de Oliveira

O objetivo deste trabalho é utilizar a termodinâmica computacional para estudar as propriedades de escórias iniciais dessulfurantes utilizando misturas com diferentes fluxantes: fluorita, sodalita, borra de alumínio, B2O3 e ilmenita. A princípio, as misturas foram definidas e em seguida foram realizadas simulações para o aquecimento dessas misturas a 1350 ºC por meio do software FactSage 7.2. Assim, foi calculado o fator de dessulfuração (FDeS) para cada mistura com base nas condições de equilíbrio. As misturas contendo 5 e 10% de fluorita e 5% de sodalita foram as que apresentaram maior FDeS. Em contrapartida, as misturas com 10,15 e 20% de B2O3 tiveram os piores resultados nessa análise. Misturas da literatura também foram simuladas a fim de se obter o FDeS e relacioná-lo com a eficiência.

Oct 1, 2019

By Linda J. Dahl

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines is developing a process to selectively extract manganese from oxide ores as part of its in situ leach mining research program. The Bureau is conducting site characterization studies of two manganiferous iron-formation deposits which include: drill core, regional stratigraphic relationships from the existing geologic database, ore body geometry, geologic structure, hydrologic conditions, proximity of ore minerals to the leach fluid paths, surface subsidence potential, and data collected from laboratory leaching experiments. This information is being used to evaluate the technical, environmental, and economic feasibility of in situ leach mining of manganese for these two deposits. This paper will focus on the stratigraphy, mineralogy, ore textures, fractures, permeability, and porosity as they relate to in situ leach mining.

Jan 1, 1992

By A. Vilinska

Microorganisms have a tremendous influence on their environment through the transfer of energy, charge, and materials across a complex biotic mineral-solution interface. Recent developments in biotechnology have not only aided hydrometallurgical leaching operations but also shown great promise in mineral beneficiation processes. The adhesion of bacteria on minerals alters the surface properties relevant to flotation and flocculation of minerals. The biomodification of mineral surfaces occurs through the attachment of microbial cells, oxidation reactions and adsorption or chemical reaction with the metabolite products. Several types of heterotrophic and chemolithotrophic bacteria have been successfully applied in flotation and flocculation processes for the last two decades. Al-though the potential of microorganisms in minerals beneficiation has been realised by several re-searchers from their laboratory investigations, the studies were mostly confined to pure mineral systems and there is hardly any sincere effort to apply the methodologies on ores. This paper presents a brief summary of the literature in bioflotation and bioflocculation, and attempts to outline new dimensions of research for a practicable application of this technology in mineral industry.

Jan 1, 2014

By Peter Bush

The deposition of metastable carbonate minerals in ar. aid, sheltered, coastal environment, leads to the formation of a flat, coastel, sabkha plain. The ground waters of the sabkha plain are modified by evaporation, precipitation of salts and reaction between ions in solution and the host carbonates. The resulting brine is similar to those found in fluid inclusions associated with Mississippi Valley type deposits. The aragonite and high magnesium calcite found in the sediments can concentrate lead and zinc from sea water. On diagenesis the lead and zinc are released into the sabkha brines.

Jan 1, 1979

By Silvio de Carvalho Sabença

Um forno a arco elétrico é um tipo de forno industrial que usa uma corrente elétrica alternada para produzir calor. Estes equipamentos servem como uma alternativa para os altos fornos tradicionais, e desempenham um papel importante na produção de aço. Em um forno de arco elétrico, a corrente elétrica passa através dos eletrodos de grafite, do aço e de outros metais, o que resulta na produção de aço de modo mais rápido e eficiente. A queda de tensão no arco é, praticamente, proporcional à distância entre o eletrodo e a carga. O eletrodo corresponde ao polo positivo (+) e a carga o negativo (-). Em corrente alternada os pólos, positivo e negativo, trocam de posição a cada meio ciclo da tensão de rede. Sob condições de arco, forma-se, no eletrodo e na carga, uma finíssima camada altamente ionizada devida a uma altíssima concentração do campo elétrico nestas zonas. No forno o arco se extingue quando a corrente se anula e reacende, quando a tensão volta a crescer. Devido a constantes quebra de eletrodo foi montado o grupo de trabalho com objetivo de reduzir o consumo dos eletrodos, otimização do consumo de energia, redução do Power On, aumento da potência média e redução nas quebras de eletrodos. Esta implantação foi extremamente importante pois o mesmo está garantindo a continuidade operacional, de forma segura e confiável, de um dos equipamentos mais importantes para a produção de aço na Usina.

Aug 17, 2017

By M Carr, C Wheeler, M Lurie, B Chen

The demand for steel products in modern society is prompting the iron ore industry to optimise their operations to ensure sustainability of fines and lump products. One of the key components in the iron ore transportation chain are belt conveyors. The energy consumption of modern belt conveyor systems has reduced considerably over the past few decades, however, there is still significant scope for further reductions, especially when heavily loaded long overland belt conveyors are considered. A new rail based continuous bulk material transportation system has been developed by researchers at the University of Newcastle to reduce the energy consumption of heavily loaded and long overland conveyors. The Rail-Running Belt Conveyor technology is a state-of-the-art continuous belt conveying technology which provides an innovative and novel departure from conventional continuous bulk material transportation systems with significant energy and economic benefits. This paper presents an overview of a Rail-Running Belt Conveyor variant which considers an enclosed belt. Enclosed belt conveying has the benefits of encapsulating the bulk material, and thereby reducing dust emissions and moisture ingress, in addition to being able to negotiate smaller radius horizontal and vertical curves leading to greater flexibility. To quantify the primary differences between conventional conveying technologies, the Denver office of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (USA) developed a case study for an 11 km long conveyor. The conveyor design throughput was 2750 t/h and included a small net elevation loss of 10 m. When considering CAPEX the Rail-Running Pipe Conveyor equipment supply cost is approximately 45 per cent of the cost of a conventional pipe conveyor, while savings upwards of US$50M emerge for CAPEX combined with five years of OPEX. The savings vary with the topography and density of the bulk commodity, with iron ore generally showing increased savings because the high bulk density increases rubber losses in conventional conveyors.

Nov 8, 2021