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Computer applications in mine 'production' planning and control are concerned with the here and now. In production planning and control we are dealing with tactics as opposed to strategy. Our objective is to make the best of the situation in the short term, i.e., in a relatively fixed environment with relatively fixed plant, equipment, and labor. Environmental factors include not only the geology of the deposit but also market factors (such as price) and governmental constraints and regulations. Mine production planning systems are applied at the interface between concept and execution. Mine production control systems are applied at the interface between execution and revised operating practices or a revised concept. Fig. 1 shows the information flow that takes place regardless of whether the planning and control systems are manual or automatic. The feedback that results depends on the feedback mechanism that has been established, and this feedback can be enhanced by careful systems analysis and design. Chronologically, production planning and control activities support the last in the series of line functions that are ordinarily performed by mining companies. The first of these is exploration, the second is evaluation and development, and the third and final function is production.

Jan 1, 1979

By Henry F. McCabe

The principals of McCabe Industrial Minerals, Inc., have been involved in the mining, processing, and marketing of nonmetallic minerals for more than 40 years. In addition to marketing nonmetallic minerals produced by other companies, McCabe Minerals owns and operates three plants that produce headlap-roofing granules, with 25 employees and annual sales approaching $6 million. During its 22 years of operation, the company has developed many different markets, and a list of factors that is used in making our marketing and feasibility studies. These criteria (Table 1) are used extensively by the company in all of its projects, and we present this and other data about the company in this brief report. HISTORY OF THE COMPANY A brief outline of the history of McCabe Industrial Minerals follows: I. McCabe Industrial Minerals, Inc. (Formerly McCabe-Woody & Co.). A. Founders: 1. Henry F. McCabe (experience): a. Heart of Texas Sand Co., Brady, Texas (1959-67) b. Delta Mining, Mill Creek, Oklahoma (1967-76) 2. A. H. Woody (experience): a. Heart of Texas Sand Co., Brady, Texas (1961-65) b. Featherlite Corp.-Light-weight aggregate

Jan 1, 1999

By John P. Mahaffey

Thank you Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen of SME-AIM? for this opportunity to talk to you about, one of the most interesting and challenging facets of our mining industry. Because the need was then -we built in 1964 what is still today, one of the most sophisticated AC mining machine simulators for this or any industry. It simulated the electrical controls and circuits of an AC shuttle car. The student activated the controls on the main console, which represented the elementary control and power circuits. Its accompanying slide-tape program, student manual and worksheets provided our customers with an effective and highly motivational means to teach their face mechanics: 1. practical AC circuit and motor theory 2. print reading 3. troubleshooting techniques Nearly 10,000 men have put in over 100,000 manhours of training on the AC panel and its DC counterpart. The DC panel was modeled after the 14BU10 Loader. The success of these larger panels pointed out the need in our industry for an orangized, basic electrical program designed around mining machinery components & circuits. But probably more importantly, they brought to light the tremendous thirst for upgrading by our industry's employees. We then turned our attention to developing programs around very basic panels. The resulting programs were designed also to assure maximum student involvement.

Jan 1, 1975

By G. J. Olson, K. S. Noah

A combined physical/biochemical process for the precombustion removal of 13 inorganic hazardous air pollutant (HAP) precursors, i.e., Sb, As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cl, Co, F, Pb, Hg, Mn, Ni and Se, from coal was tested. Biochemical processes for removal of HAP precursors from coal potentially offer advantages of deeper cleaning, more specificity and less coal loss. The slurry column is a second-generation process for the beneficiation o f fine (60-mesh x µm coal by a combination of physical separation of mineral matter and biooxidation of pyrite. Sixty-seven percent removal of pyrite from a 60-mesh Pittsburgh #8 coal was achieved at a 35% (w/w) slurry concentration and a five-day reactor residence time. Ninety percent of the heating value of the feed coal was recovered. Among the HAP precursors of most concern, over half of the Se, As and Hg were removed from the feed coal. From 40% to 70% of most HAP precursors were removed from the feed coal. Hg in the feed coal was reduced from 0.12 to 0.054 ,µg/g in the product coal, while waste coal contained 0.24 µg/g.

Jan 1, 2000

By T. W. Meikle

Three nutrient amendments and a biological seed inoculant were evaluated for use in establishing vegetative cover on waste rock substrates. Randomized blocks were placed on three substrates. Treatments included two types of organic fertilizer, mineral fertilizer, Azospirillum bacterial inoculant, plus controls. The seed mix consisted of native grass species adapted to low nutrient conditions. Canopy cover has been monitored for three growing seasons. Results indicate: 1) two of three substrates support plant growth following amendment with organic fertilizers; 2) organic fertilizers increase cover substantially over mineral fertilizer; and 3) Azospirillum had no effect on canopy cover.

Jan 1, 1999

By H. V. Fairbanks

The following processes were investigated using ultrasonic treatment in mineral recovery: (1) cleaning coal from coal slurry ponds, and (2) extracting precious metals from tailings and other sources. The treatment entails the production of a water slurry of the material containing the mineral which is made to flow over the vibrating surface of the ultrasonic treatment unit. The vibrations transmitted into the slurry break up particle agglomerates and also produce a scrubbing action on the surfaces of the particles. The treated mineral particles were found to have increased settling rates, better compaction, and more rapid water drainage.

Jan 1, 1990

By A. Bhagavatula, M. Rezaee, M. J. Kiser, R. Q. Honaker

"A field study of the coal preparation plant fleet in the eastern United States was undertaken to determine if quantify of rare earth elements (REEs) present in the product streams are large enough to justify further concentration. Representative composite samples were taken from the clean product, coarse refuse, and fine refuse streams from 20 coal preparation plants. Each stream was then separated into various size and density classes and analyzed for ash and REE contents. The large database showed that coarse refuse contained the largest amount of REEs, although the ratio of heavy to light REEs was greater for the clean coal products. The concentration of REEs was also compared to that typically seen in the earth’s crust. This enrichment ratio ranged from approximately 1.5 to more than 4.0 as the ash content varied. The database also showed that a linear correlation existed between La and Ce for many REEs of interest, although there were several notable exceptions for some of the high-value REEs. INTRODUCTION Worldwide energy demand is expected to grow by as much as 37% by 2040 according to the International Energy Agency (2014). This growth, coupled with a decrease of the reliance on coal to generate energy, means that it is more important than ever for countries to secure the materials necessary to meet its energy projections. For the United States, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that total domestic electricity use will increase roughly 25%, from 3,836x109 kWh in 2013 to 4,797x109 kWh in 2040 (EIA, 2015). In the EIA’s reference case, coal’s contribution to electricity generation drops from 39% in 2013 to 34% in 2040. On the other hand, renewables share of electricity generation grows from 13% to 18% for the reference case. Compared to its current state, renewable energy electricity production is predicted to grow as little as 50% to as much as 121% over this time period, depending on the economic case being examined. This growth will largely be seen in the wind and solar sectors (EIA, 2015). The focus on viable renewable energy resources will be crucial to the future of fueling American growth. Many of the renewable energy technologies, such as wind turbines and photovoltaic films, rely on materials and supply chains outside of the United States. The lack of a reliable and low-cost domestic supply could pose a threat to the growth of the renewable energy markets in the United States. This potential vulnerability recently led the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to create a Critical Materials Strategy Report. In this report, 15 elements were identified as critical for the continued growth of the renewable energy market. Eight of these elements were rare earth elements (REEs). Five REEs (dysprosium, neodymium, terbium, yttrium and europium) were identified as highly critical and vulnerable to shortages (Bauer et al., 2012)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Z. Rogovin

A Knowledge of the amount of time the material spends in a continuous mill in a closed-grinding-circuit is essential for circuit performance analysis and scale-up design. A convenient method for acquiring this information involves the use of tracers in residence-time-distribution (RTD) experiments. In a typical wet process the RTD measurements are usually done by injecting a pulse tracer into the mill inlet and detecting it in the circuit exit. In this article a simple to use mathematical method for the calculation of the closed circuit material residence time in the mill is developed. Using this method there are no restrictions on the location of the tracer injection or detection points. Any convenient location in the closed circuit can be chosen without affecting the simplicity of the method. This method also enables the calculation of the degree of mixing in the mill. The use of this method for the analysis of impulse response data obtained from several commercial grinding circuits is presented.

Jan 1, 1986

By T. J. Fenner

Surface and underground mining operations are often hindered by unknown tunnels and stopes and the precise locations of adjacent workings. Mine safety and planning are adversely affected especially in previously undermined areas where historical records are incomplete or non-existent. The results of several Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) studies for the detection of known mine tunnels in underground coal; salt, and gold mines are presented. A case study to locate unknown, abandoned mine workings at a surface gold mine successfully located all workings to a depth of 11 meters.

Jan 1, 1992

The surface properties of eight coal samples were studied by measuring contact angles, coal oxidation, equilibrium moisture and film flotation. The penetration tests were carried out with do de cane, while dodecane and MIBC were utilized in batch flotation tests and in the simplified release analysis. Coal floatability results from the properties of coal organic matter and coal liberation. While the wetting of coal by water seems to be determined by the surface properties of coal organic matter, wetting by hydrocarbons correlates very well with the content of coal mineral matter.

Jan 1, 1992

By S. K. Kawatra, S. J. Ripke

Iron ore concentrates pellets are currently in duration heat hardened (sintered) under oxidizing conditions. Pellets produced from magnetite ore concentrate are completely oxidized during induration and finish as hematite pellets. These pellets then require a blast furnace to reduce the hematite to metallic pig iron. Partially reduced pellets would save energy and fuel during transportation and further reduction. It has been stated in the literature “the most important single factor responsible for the development of strength in fired magnetite pellets containing no additive is the oxidation of the magnetite to hematite and the subsequent recrystallization and grain growth of this constituent.” However experiments shown in this paper reveal that oxidation is not necessary to produce high-strength pellets. Magnetite concentrate pellets developed similar strength when indurated at 1350°C under either oxidizing (air) or inert (argon) atmosphere; the pellets sintered under argon remained magnetite. In addition, magnetite concentrate pellets indurated under reducing (CO) atmosphere also remained as magnetite, but required induration temperature of approximately 150°C less than the other pellets.

Jan 1, 2003

By M. R. Yenchek

Faulty insulators on mine trolley/track haulageways may allow the flow of leakage currents into the mine roof and ultimately result in combustion of the local roof material. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (PRL), has devised a passive means to detect overheating insulators on direct current systems. The detector consists of a spring-loaded cartridge that ejects a reflective streamer of white Teflon tape when subjected to elevated temperatures. The cartridge assembly can be easily installed over the outer metallic shell of an existing trolley line insulator. If an insulator overheats due to ground leakage currents, the visible streamer alerts mine personnel traveling on the haulageway.

Jan 1, 1998

By V. A. Kharchenko, V. M. Yeremeev

INITIAL PRECONDITIONS To solve tile problem of using the potential reserves of the different coal ranks efficiently (the coal reserves being many times superior in quantity to those of natural gas and oil) one must realise an integrated estimation of the coalfields' and coal deposits' reserves. The actuality of this problem increased especially in the recent years, when the Russian coal industry is being restructured. A structural reorgaisation of this industry, in order to in- crease its efficiency, covers a large spectrum of social and economic problems, comprising a withdrawal from mining the coal reserves that are unsafe from the standpoint of economy and labour protection. According to the information supplied by the 'Rossoogol' company, the Russian coal industry, accounting for abut a fifth of the world coal reserves, has a rather unsafe resource base, for about 5% of the reserves involved in mining do not correspond to the world practice conditions, regarding the coal grade, thickness, geological conditions, proneness to coal and gas outburst hazards. These concern first of all the Moscow, Kizelovsk and Donetsk coal basins, the Prokopievsk-Kiselevsk district of the Kuzbas basin and several other coalfields. Thus, the problem of efficient potential coal reserves' utilization calls for a paramount solution of two basic problems, namely: a) a comparative coalfields' and sections evaluation, and their ranging, in accordance with their industrial importance; b) choosing the 'active' reserves good to be efficiently mined under the present-day conditions. PRINCIPLES OF EVALUATION The investigations that had been carried out make it possible to formulate the following basic principles of the coalfields' reserves' estimation (or assessment). 1. The necessity, possibility and expediency of coal reserves' industrial exploitation are determined by a set of natural, technical, technological, practical, economic, environmental and social factors, thus calling for an integrated and gradual approach to problem solving. 2. One cannot consider the results of same reserves' estimation as being invariable because the former depend both upon constant (mainly natural) and market demands for different grades of coal (those of different power engineering and technological situations), capital investments, material and labour resources, economic (price-forming), technical, technological, environmental and other factors. 3. The rational size and sequence of the operating mines' and reserve sections' resources' involvement into mining depend upon the final aim of posing the problem, whose variants may be (the corresponding limitations being considered) providing for a maximum run-of-mine output (these essentially featuring the past stages of the industry's evolution); providing for a maximum efficiency, measured possibly by the specific or absolute indices of profits an expenses, labour productivity e. al. ; providing for a maximum extraction (maximum integrate utilization) of the known reserves. In this case an important park goes to the economic evaluation (or assessment) of useful application of the by-products being extracted (methane, mine water, rack) compared to the expenses necessary for their utilization. Regarding the steam coal (posing the problem any way it be possible), and extreme limit to the absolute non-efficiency of the coal reserves' exploitation may be posed, using the proportion of energy obtained from the possible amount of the coal to be extracted to the energy consumption necessary to extract, prepare, haul and consume this amount of coal. 4. The most reliable and efficient solutions providing for opening the reserves can be obtained for group of mines, rather than at the level of an individual mine section or an individual mine because it is only in the former case that the possibilities to re- distribute the expenses necessary to develop the good for mining and worse sections and seams can be realized to the greatest extent. Therefore the prospective approach to be considered is the one providing for an integrated organization and choice of the optimum combination of the variants of the ways to use the mines in operation and the free sections of the region in order to satisfy the growing up requirements for coal rather than the one providing for individual mine sections' resources' evaluation. 5. The future possibility and expediency of coal reserves' industrial exploitation will depend upon the prospects to implant at the mines in operation and reserve sections new engineering and technological elements and coal extraction technologies which may essentially change the actual idea concerning the coal reserves worth of being developed in an efficient way. For example, reserves not available to be exploited using conventional coal extraction technology may be regarded as potential resources for in situ gasification, e. g. the operating mines' reserves (non-commercial and non-mined commercial ones), balance and outside balance reserves of the free sections having proved not available to be mined using conventional coal-extraction technologies, as well as the non-extracted reserves of the abandoned and closed mines.

Jan 1, 1996

By J. S. Peterson

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Pittsburgh Research Center (PRC), has conducted research to improve electrical fault detection on coal mine direct current (dc) trolley systems. Present circuit breaker protection systems are current-magnitude-based and cannot discern between normal traffic and high resistance electrical faults. Tests were conducted at cooperating mines to assist in developing a neural-network-based detection algorithm for distinguishing between electrical faults and normal operation. The Fast Fourier Transform of the trolley rectifier current signature served as baseline data for the neural network. During field tests, the algorithm performed with greater than 90% accuracy.

Jan 1, 1997

By D. Marino

Over the last 20 years, the manufacturing sector of our country has been called upon to comply with ever core stringent environmental standards. The primary metals sector was particularly hard hit early on, to develop the technology, acquire the equipment, and implement the programs to eliminate or reduce the by-products of metal making. To this end, through a combination of technological innovation and extensive capital expenditures, the metals industry has met, and in many cases, exceeded the minimum standards. It is to this escalating cost - liability exposure issue - that Dereco has addressed itself. As we move into the decade of the 90's, the challenge facing the metals industry concerning the environment will be even more difficult than the previous decade. To focus in on one major aspect of legislated environmental regulations, the issue we will address today is; now that the by-products of metal production have been identified, accounted for and collected, how are they to be disposed of? During the course of this presentation, actual data will be presented from our 4 1/4 year on-site experience at J & L Specialty Products

Jan 1, 1992

By Robert Stefanko

Longwall mining appears very attractive from an engineering standpoint because of its simplicity. The use of one long, continuous face can simplify power distribution, ventilation, and supervision, and minimizes or prevents lost time associated with the tramming of equipment in room-and-pillar systems. Since the longwall system is more amenable to automation, it is inherently safer than room and pillar. Remote control of all face equipment from gate roads will obviate the exposure of men in the face area. Considering what has been said, it seems a paradox that more longwall installations are not found in the United States. However, with favorable mining conditions in relatively level seams of adequate height under shallow cover, it has been possible to develop highly productive, mechanized, room-and-pillar systems. Thus there has been no real incentive to employ longwall in the United States. In Europe, mining companies usually have very little choice between the two systems. Pitching seams of low height located at great depth dictate the use of longwall methods. With depletion of its readily accessible reserves, mining conditions will be similar to those now prevailing in Europe, and an increase in the use of longwall in the United States can be anticipated.

Jan 1, 1963

By T. A. Doyle

Column and batch test methods are used to simulate and model the leaching of various mining by-products. Batch tests are simpler, while column tests more intuitively represent the field conditions to be simulated. Projects that have included different types of leaching tests illustrate the strengths, limitations, and associated uncertainties of each. Column and batch tests have been used to evaluate arsenic solubility in leachate from treated copper smelter flue dust, to simulate the leaching of pit wall rock from a proposed gold mine, and to simulate the release of uranium from aquifer materials.

Jan 1, 1998

By Robert D. Hansen, Basil S. Fee, Richard R. Klimpel

Despite the importance of froth flotation to the mineral industries as a means of separating various minerals, the commercial flotation reagents used have varied little in the last twenty years. Numerous articles and books are available describing existing flotation chemistry and its application, e.g., Fuerstenau (1962), Fuerstenau (1976), Aplan (1980), Somasundaran (1980), King (1982), Leja (1982), Ackerman, et. al. (1984), Crozier (1984), Hansen and Klimpel (1985). There are many reasons for this lack of significant new reagent development including the general utility and relative cheapness of collectors, such as xanthates, and frothers, such as methyl isobutyl carbinol and the glycol ethers. Another important reason is the inherent complexity of the flotation process itself coupled with highly variable and difficult to standardize feed materials which make reliable reagent comparisons difficult and seriously limit the use of theoretically based studies to "predict" new or optimal reagents. In addition, the higher cost of "specialty flotation reagents demands that their performance attributes be significantly greater than existing general all- purpose commercial reagents – something often difficult to prove in practice. Faced with this situation, a detailed applications research pro- gram [Klimpel (1980 ab, 1982, 1984 ab), Klimpel, et. al. (1982)] was organized from 1979-1985 on mineral flotation with the following goals: 1) the development of appropriate batch laboratory flotation testing techniques sensitive enough and statistically reliable enough to identify small differences in performance between different flotation tests (i.e., between various reagents, even those with relatively minor chemical structural changes); 2) the identification of mathematical models with appropriate numbers and types of parameters that have maximum statistical power to statistically distinguish between various time-recovery profiles; 3) the generation of laboratory and corresponding plant scale data in sufficient quantity and consistency so that the highly interactive nature of the "flotation system9' of chemistry/ equipment/operating conditions could be quantified; and 4) the invention and development of really new and unique reagents for giving improved flotation performance. The goal #1 was achieved [Klimpel (1980b. 1984b), Meyer and Klimpel (1984)l by basically using a simple automated paddle device for consistent

Jan 1, 1986

By Georges Verly

The estimation of local recoveries is an important issue in a selective mining operation. Two techniques, probability kriging and multigaussian kriging, are applied to estimate local recoveries at Jerritt Canyon. The pros and cons of each method are discussed in light of the results. Both methods provide simple and satisfactory solutions to the problem of estimating local recoveries. Consequently, they can be useful tools to work with in a selective mining operation.

Jan 1, 1984

By Peter B. Lilly

I appreciate the opportunity to tell you something about Kerr-McGee's Galatia Mine in Southern Illinois. This new underground mine was a departure for us since our previous experience had been gained in large surface mines in Wyoming. Although we were new, we did have the corporate experience in the operation of deep uranium and potash mines in New Mexico and Wyoming, and an earlier underground coal mine in Southeast Oklahoma. In arriving at our final design, we evaluated numerous concepts and finally settled on a two seam mine sharing a single shaft and slope. The mine, in turn, would be supported by a heavy media processing plant designed to optimize the yield from either seam. Further, we wished to be able to keep the two seams separate so that we could sell either seam separately or in a blend. Due to the thickness of the coal, the practical area dedicated to the mine provided forty to fifty years operations at the selected mine capacities. It was important, therefore, that our design and selection of hardware and systems provide for long life and low maintenance in order to compete in today's competitive markets.

Jan 1, 1984