Search Documents

By John L. Burnett

Field criteria are needed to help the prospector recognize a potentially expansible shale, clay, or slate. Certain criteria have proven useful in California even though the physical-chemical mechanisms of expansion are not thoroughly understood. Three conditions must be satisfied before expansion can take place, The raw material must partially fuse at a low temperature (1800-2000°F.), Concurrently a gas must form. The raw material must be sufficiently impermeable to trap the gas within the particle. Low temperature melting, which is controlled by bulk chemical composition, is difficult to assess in the field but most common shale, clay, and slate is suitable in this respect, The presence of organic carbon, the most common source of an expanding gas, is indicated by dark color of the rock, A large proportion of clay-sized particles promotes impermeability; fine grain-size is indicated by conchoidal fracture, The shape of the expanded particle is commonly indicated by the texture of the raw material. Rocks with well-developed slatey cleavage produce accordion-shaped particles; massive rocks tend to form rounded particles. Undesirable materials commonly present with expansible shale include: weathered shale; sandstone and other coarse-grained sediments; and limestone, Weathering, which is indicated by color, reduces or eliminates expansion; therefore, surface samples seldom are representative of the shale found at depth. Sandstone does not expand and will increase the average weight of the finished product, Limestone or particles of carbonate minerals can be actively harmful because they are converted to free lime (CaO) during the firing process, If free lime is present in concrete, hydration will cause expansion of the lime particles which result in surficial ?popouts.?

Jan 1, 1963

By George B. Griswold

The two most stringent parameters for in place fracturing of rock are the lack of any initial void space in the rock which to expand into and the ability to gain access only through drill holes. These two restrictions have proven so severe that as of today the only proven techniques for efficient fracturing are the contained nuclear detonation and hydrofracing. Both of these methods have highly developed technologies for their application. Hydrofracing has been a standard oil field practice for two decades, and the experience gained from a couple hundred underground nuclear detonations has resulted in a thorough understanding of the phenomenology of cavity and chimney formation. What is still lacking is a practical method to create a suit- able degree of fracturing for those ore bodies which do not meet the application criteria for either the nuclear explosion or hydrofracing. Nuclear applications must be restricted to thick ore deposits so as to take advantage of chimney collapse height--preferable in excess of 200 feet thick. Other requirements such as ground shock, containment, and radioactive contamination further reduce the number of sites that prudently can be selected.

Jan 1, 1969

By M. C. Williams

As the flaws in the population balance model (PBM) comminution model are examined more deeply, further errors and problems were discovered. The Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm for systems of constrained non-linear equations was used to solve the dynamic PBM grinding equations to obtain the grinding selection and breakage rate functions. The fact that the PBM model equation Inverse Problem is degenerate or underspecified is demonstrated. Multiple solutions to the same PBM equations are provided. It is shown that there is no unique solution to the Inverse Problem unless additional constraints are provided or assumptions are made such as the Arbiter-Bhrany normalization assumption. The severity of the non-uniqueness problem for dynamic grinding is demonstrated. Each solution to a dynamic PBM, while giving the same prediction for a given grinding time interval, gives different solutions or predictions for mill composition for other grinding times. Actual experimental grinding data was assessed to determine the functionality of mill selection and breakage functions.

Jan 1, 1993

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is adding a third fan to operate in parallel with, and supplement, its two existing main fans. An engineering analysis conducted in 1995 identified the need for improved system availability and efficiency. The WIPP, located near Carlsbad, New Mexico, is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Area Office facility designed to permanently dispose of U.S. defense-generated transuranic waste in a deep bedded salt deposit. Engineers at the WIPP performed a feasibility analysis for either modifying, supplementing, or replacing its two main mine fans. Since the centrifugal fans were installed in 1988, multiple operational and performance concerns have been identified. A comprehensive engineering study was conducted (K. McDaniel, et al., 1997) to: identify and quantify operational concerns, evaluate possible alternatives, and recommend an optimum solution. The study indicated that adding a third single-duty centrifugal fan similar to the two existing fans, and equipping that fan with Inlet Van Controls (IVCs) was the best choice. This alternative provided the most desirable combination of operational readiness, and improving system performance. The fan installation project accommodates several operational and scheduling constraints. WIPP is scheduled to receive waste in May 1998. This milestone is proceeded by an operational readiness review. Fan installation could not be allowed to compromise the WIPP's ability to declare facility readiness and had to minimize operational disruptions during the system tie-in. All engineering for the project is completed and physical modifications started in July 1997. The project will be completed in early 1998.

Jan 1, 1998

By Manuel S. Rivera

Abstract. Instrumentation in concentrators has evolved from a few isolated indicators to compu- terized control within twenty years. This evo- lution has caused a drastic change in the phil- osophy, personnel and equipment used in a pro- gram of servicing and utilization of present day automation.

Jan 1, 1980

Several years ago, North American mining companies began to realize they needed to expand their spheres to remain viable. This strategy has been successful, according to Robert W. Schafer. Today, companies from other continents have also recognized the need for an international view for long-term growth and viability, he said. Schafer is vice president for exploration with Kinross Gold. He was the program chairman and moderator of the keynote session at the 1997 SME annual meeting, held in Denver, CO, Feb. 23-27. The theme of the meeting was "Minerals - Serving the Global Community." A record attendance of more than 6,000 people participated in the meeting, which featured 415 exhibitors occupying 582 booths. The title of the keynote session was "Corporate Perspectives on a Global Minerals Industry." Each of the three keynote speakers discussed a different perspective of a global minerals industry.

Jan 1, 1997

By D. L. Kuck

Water ice pillars far underground mine roof support can be frozen and/or maintained and/or melted on demand. The system to do this consists of a refrigeration brine chiller, brine circulation system and disposable plastic containers. Fusion expansion, resilience to dynamic loads, plastic deformation under stress, and non-contamination of coal or ore are unique properties of ice. Lower labor and material costs are economic advantages of ice far mine structural support. Ice brattices can become ice pillars on retreat. For safety, ice pillars can be placed (by remote control, if necessary) in hazardous sites without human entry.

Jan 1, 1988

By John W. Crawford

The majority of the regulations in Part 75 for underground coal mines have been in effect since March of 1970, almost nine years now. Although there have been some additions each year in specific areas where the need became apparent or the statute required some action, the bulk was promulgated on March 28, 1970 for the purpose of clarifying the statutory provisions of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. Many of those regulations were derived from the Federal Mine Safety Code, or from experience gained by the Bureau of Mines in the enforcement of Public Law 552. Upon passage of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, these same regulations remained in effect and the statutory requirements of the Act placed a responsibility upon the Secretary of Labor to promulgate additional regulations in specific areas not previously covered. The Federal inspectorate has received formal training at the National Mine Health and Safety Academy in the proper application of the regulations, as well as routine retraining and special training courses subsequent to the promulgation of new regulations. With some exceptions, the vast majority of these regulations are nothing more than good mining practice. Basically, the regulatory problems are two-fold. There are a few specific regulations that, under certain circumstances, compliance is nearly, if not actually, impossible. There is non-uniform application of enforcement of regulations by the inspectorate based on opinions developed from personal experience of inspectors or lack of experience. The record is replete with examples of overzealous inspectors applying regulations that either do not exist or have been stretched far beyond the intent of the regulations.

Jan 1, 1979

By V. Karra

Based on extensive investigations on the effect of design variables on process performance, during 1982-85, Nordberg developed a 1000 hp cone crusher, with the objective of boosting crushing productivity in existing plants. The 2390 fits on the same foundation as the 7' SHD Symons cone, but is designed to give two times the capacity of the 7'. The economies of scale involved give the customer substantial cost savings. In this paper process performance of the Nordberg 2390 relative to the 7' SHD Symons cone, while crushing the same ore, will be presented. Also, implications of such a crusher scale-up to associated cost savings will be addressed.

Jan 1, 1988

By Keith Olson

In the heart of Appalachia, where coal mining has shaped communities and economies for generations, Bluefield State University (BSU) has made a landmark decision to reestablish its mining engineering technology program. This move comes at a critical juncture for both the university and the mining industry, which faces significant workforce challenges amid evolving technological demands and an aging professional demographic. The program’s revival represents an educational initiative and a strategic response to industry needs and regional economic development. Nestled in the mountains of southern West Virginia, BSU has a storied history intertwined with the region’s mining heritage. The institution’s decision to bring back this specialized program after a hiatus of several years signals a renewed commitment to serving both regional industry demands and providing career pathways for students in an area where the cyclical nature of resource extraction economies has often limited economic opportunities. “This program’s return reflects our deep understanding of this region’s needs and our commitment to preparing graduates for meaningful careers that support our local industries,” said Darrin Martin, president of Bluefield State University. “We’re bridging the gap between education and industry with a modernized curriculum that addresses today’s mining challenges while preparing for tomorrow’s innovations.”

Jun 1, 2025

By R. G. Robins

The dissolution of metallic copper powder in aqueous solutions of cupric sulfate with ethylene under low pressure was investigated. The reaction stoichiometry obtained was:

Jan 1, 1988

By Robert M. Dreyer

Although lateritic deposits have long been a principal source of bauxite and are becoming an increasingly important source of nickel, the problems in the evaluation of such deposits are not generally understood. In the evaluation of lateritic bauxite and nickel deposits, there are many similarities, but there also. are significant differences. It has long been recognized that laterites with commercial concentrations of trivalent metals represent the ultimate in the intense leaching of tropical soils. Any factors which effect-the rate of soil leaching will effect the form of local lateritic concentrations. Although the most intense leaching generally occurs on somewhat elevated areas of gentle relief where there is a free downward flow of rain water, the- effect of local rock structures in effecting varia¬tions in soil metal concentrations has-not been well understood - primarily because the laterite forms a masking blanket over the rocks from which the laterites were derived. All of the-factors which facilitate downward movement of water may effect greater surficial concentrations of trivalent metals. Such features as zones of fracturing, zones of greater rock permeability, and areas of karst topography may, therefore, be responsible for greater leaching. The variations in rock structures and the vagaries of ground water flow pat¬terns impart, to the laterites, rapid lateral and vertical variations in thickness and metal concentrations. Because of such rapid

Jan 1, 1970

By L. H. Monaco

"The evolutional process is always about solving existent problems in order to provide further achievements. But the more something evolves, the more challenges it faces towards greater evolution. Industrial automation systems in Mining have also evolved a lot in the past decades, but they now face new challenges about integration: how to integrate different locations and systems, in a way to reduce costs and increase overall mine efficiency and safety for the operation. This paper compares conventional mining process automation architectures vs. a state-of-the-art, completely integrated system using Electrical Integration based on IEC 61850 standard for Substation Automation Systems. Emphasis is placed on the benefits to manage the entire mining plant as a whole, not only looking at the production rates, but also at the energy consumption for each part of process. In addition, it is discussed how an integrated system approach unlocks safety and productivity gains such as overall process optimizations, improved operator effectiveness, increased plant availability, and reduced maintenance costs. INTRODUCTION The world is constantly changing, and evolution is a natural part of mankind history. The role of evolutional process is to solve existent problems, but usually these solutions create new issues that need to be addressed. This scenario is also applicable to the industrial environment, in which the demand for higher profitability and efficiency on their processes requires solutions with more productivity using less resource. This is not different when it comes to energy consumption: how to optimize production rates and reduce energy costs at the same time? Regarding automation systems, the trend for the industries is to focus on four main challenges: how to provide safety for personnel; how to reduce initial investment for new plants; how to connect remote and in harsh locations; and above all how to deal with the lack of integration between several systems."

Jan 1, 2018

By R. J. Barnes

Consider a typical blast at a surface gold mine in North America. For example, the low-grade area of Bench 4000 at AMAX Gold's Sleeper Mine (Winnemucca, Nevada). Bench 4000 is 20 feet high (=6m) , and blast holes are drilled and sampled on a 14 foot by 14 foot square grid (a4m x 4m). A representative blast includes between 50 and 150 holes, encompassing 15,000 to 45,000 tons of material (w14,000 to 41,000 metric tons).

Jan 1, 1989

By James R. Jones

It has been 2-1/2 years since the Congress passed the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (PL95-87) the Office of Surface Mining every deadline specified in the Act. Hopefully the Congress will begin to realize that specifying unrealistic deadlines does not accomplish the end desire of legislation any sooner -- it only adds to the confusion, and actually hinders orderly, efficient progress. OSM has been sued by all categories of involved parties -- environmental activitist organizations, the states, and the coal operators. This situation has resulted for two reasons: (1) insufficient time was allotted by the Congress to properly develop the regulations and program, and (2) OSM?s philosophy that it must dictate every detail of reclamation operations from Washington, even though many of its people are inexperienced with coal mining. These law- suits are now demonstrating their value. OSM is showing signs of "pulling-in-its horns" and, hopefully, will approach the revised regulations in a more realistic fasion.

Jan 1, 1980

By Meredith Scaggs, Emily Sarver, Lucas Rojas Mendoza

"Early on Jan. 9, 2014, approximately 37,800 L (10,000 gal) of crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) leaked from a storage tank sitting on the bank of the Elk River near Charleston, WV (WVDEP, 2014; CSB, 2014). MCHM is a chemical commonly used in preparation of fine coal and is considered nonhazardous in terms of transportation, storage regulations and also toxicity (CDC, 2014a). Freedom Industries Inc., a producer and vendor of specialty chemical products, had acquired the storage facility from Etowah River Terminal, LLC just a few weeks prior in December 2013 (WVDEP, 2014; Freedom, 2005). The direct cause of the spill was ultimately determined to be two small holes in the base of the 76-year-old tank, which were created due to corrosion damage (Bauerlein and McWhirter, 2014).The spill site was located a little more than 1.6 km (1 mile) upstream from the intake of a municipal water treatment facility operated by West Virginia American Water (WVAW), which serves a population of 300,000 across nine counties in central West Virginia (CDC, 2014a). In a matter of hours, the leaked MCHM made its way through the treatment facility and into the water of nearby homes and businesses, where its strong smell was noticed almost immediately. On the evening of the spill, WVAW concluded that its conventional treatment processes, which include carbon filters to remove a variety of contaminants from water, were not capable of fully removing the MCHM and a "Do Not Use" order was issued for all customers (WVAW, 2014a).With little information readily available regarding the potential human health effects of MCHM, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) quickly issued an advisory ruling that set a maximum screening level of 1 ppm for safe drinking water (CDC, 2014a). Based on this recommendation, the "Do Not Use" order remained in effect for a total of eight days, until Jan. 17, when the WVAW distribution water was confirmed to have MCHM concentrations below the approved level (WVAW, 2014a). However, due to the pungent odor of the chemical, its presence was still recognizable in the WVAW facility and in consumers’ tap water after the order was lifted (Manuel, 2014). Recent studies have shown that the chemical can be detected in water at sub-ppb concentrations, a fact that undoubtedly added to growing public concern (Rosen et al., 2014; Gallagher et al., 2014). In response to numerous complaints and demands, WVAW continued flushing the treatment facility and pipes until Feb. 25 when MCHM levels were measured below 2 ppb (WVAW, 2014b), and eventually replaced the affected filter media (WVAW, 2014c)."

Jan 1, 2014

By J. Frenzel

The computation of hydrometallurgical equilibria is very difficult because of the many complex species in solution, the precipitates, condensed species, or solids, and the activity coefficient corrections necessary to non-ideal thermodynamics. Our objective was to tryout recently developed genetic algorithms to minimize free energy and solve the equilibrium computation. We selected test problems that were seemingly unsolvable with more traditional algorithms, and we applied genetic algorithms to them. We were pleased to find that genetic algorithms succeeded where other algorithms did not. We concluded that they are an effective tool for hydrometallurgical equilibria.

Jan 1, 1992

By M. Springett

Organization of teams for rapid and effective evaluation of international mining properties requires special considerations beyond those needed for domestic activities. Experience, technical ability, a sense of perspective, humor and self-discipline are vital characteristics to look for in the selection of individuals for forming an efficient and productive team.

Jan 1, 1994

By Abdullah Arik

Verification of computer generated reserve models is essential since the computer does not automatically check the validity of methods and assumptions selected by the user and their results. For the computer to do model verification would require an expert system which would perform tests on the model and determine if the model is valid. Since such an expert system is not available, it is up to users to verify the models they develop.

Jan 1, 1995

By K. L. Whitehead, R. A. Jankowski, N. I. Jayaraman

Most continuous miner sections utilizing flooded-bed scrubbers also use blowing face ventilation. Blowing ventilation, however, interferes with dust capture and minimizes scrubber effectiveness. To enhance the efficiency of the scrubber system and reduce dust concentrations, the Bureau of Mines tested various combinations of operating parameters. Experiments for system efficiency took place in a full- scale model mine at 3.05 m roof height. In general, higher values for scrubber and face airflows resulted in lower dust concentrations. In addition, optimum dust controls would include a face ventilation to scrubber airflow ratio of one. When the airflow ratio was either less than or greater than one, the dust levels in the return and at the operator locations increased. No single dust control technique was the most effective one at all locations due to mutual interaction among techniques.

Jan 1, 1992