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By Mark S. Rayson, Jessy Lee, David O. Johnson, Matthew R. Rawls

The ability to manipulate the structure of liquid chemicals in an explosive is important in mining applications, where precision blasting is crucial for the safe, reliable, economical and eco-friendly extraction of ores. Static mixers allow explosives, emulsion-based in particular, to be custom-made as they offer precise and reproducible mixing without the need for moving mechanical parts. In this paper, we perform numerical simulations on the laminar mixing of two nitrate-based fluids in a Kenics static mixer unit for various mixer parameters. Two numerical methods were investigated in the study of the mixing pattern: solving the mass transfer equation and using particle tracking. The former introduces artificial numerical diffusion which can lead to spurious smearing of the component boundaries, a problem that can be avoided with the latter technique. We have also demonstrated that the particle tracing method is capable of qualitatively predicting the blending patterns under the conditions studied.

Jan 1, 2014

By Dredge K, Becker G

The successful dissolution of the valuable metal components of a solid phase is often a basic requirement for a successful hydrometallurgical treatment process. Sulphide concentrates are often an intermediate product in the production of refined metals. These concentrates need to be further processed to realise the contained metal values in a useful form. Pyrometallurgical techniques have tended to dominate, at least the initial treatment of metal sulphide concentrates. The technology described, Activox«, has been developed specifically for the hydrometallurgical treatment of these sulphide mineral concentrates, in particular those containing copper, nickel or gold. The Activox« dissolution technology coupled with the use of existing, or newly developed, downstream processing techniques, offers alternative processing options for the recovery of full value, saleable metal products. The technology is suitable for application down to relatively small scales opening up the opportunity for on-site production of metals even at modest scale mining Operations.

Jan 1, 1995

Editor's note: Biographical information about Ihor Kunasz, president, Newmont Uzbekistan, can be found in the February 1998 issue of ME, page 94 and in the May 1996 issue, page 92. Your personal assessment of the minerals business. Gosh! When I think about what has happened to the minerals industry over the past 27 years that I have been a member of SME! There have been fundamental structural changes in the industry. And I think that SME has been quite successful in coping with these changes as well. There has been a reorientation in how the minerals industry does business. It used to be called rationalization. Today we call it reengineering. In addition, the minerals industry has become more complex and more global. Shareholders have become more vocal and demanding in the management of the business, asking for protection of their shareholders' value. In the 1980s, a fundamental change was precipitated by a merger and acquisition fever in all industries, including the minerals industry. Raiders such as T. Boone Pickens put enormous demands on companies that, in turn, had to spend substantial management time to fend off the raiders. This resulted in a major restructuring of the mining houses. Today, for example, Anaconda, Kennecott and Amax are only historical names.

Jan 1, 1998

By R. E. Lawless

The transportation challenge began with the need to move millions of tons of coal annually from Western Canada to Ontario. The paper will discuss the options which were available, the final mode selected and the economic trade-offs which were involved. It will outline the demands of unit train technology and the effect of transportation requirements on the other elements of the whole system.

Jan 1, 1979

By R. W. Raymond

I DESIRE to call the attention of the Institute briefly, and by no means in the way of an exhaustive description, to the interesting developments recently made on the east bank of the Hudson River, in the mining of spathic iron ores. The mines to which I refer are those of the Hudson River Spathic Iron Ore Company, situated at Oakhill on Hudson, Columbia County, N. Y., five or six miles from the city of Hudson, and opposite the town of Catskill. The ore occurs in beds, constituting apparently members of the stratified series of rocks on that side of the river, coursing nearly north and south, parallel with the river, and dipping east. The principal outcrops are presented in a range of low hills, about one mile from the river, along the crest, on the western face of which the stratum of spathic ore is more or less exposed. The length of the line in this range, along which, at various openings the ore has been discovered in profitable quantity, is about two miles. To the northward, the hills are somewhat higher, and the stratification may possibly be disturbed, though the rapid examination of the locality which I made in November last did not, include any determination of this

By R. W. Raymond

I DESIRE to call the attention of the Institute briefly, and by no means in the way of an exhaustive description, to the interesting developments recently made on the east bank of the Hudson River, in the mining of spathic iron ores. The mines to which I refer are those of the Hudson River Spathic Iron Ore Company, situated at Oakhill on Hudson, Columbia County, N. Y., five or six miles from the city of Hudson, and opposite the town of Catskill. The ore occurs in beds, constituting apparently members of the stratified series of rocks on that side of the river, coursing nearly north and south, parallel with the river, and dipping east. The principal out- crops are presented in a range of low hills, about one mile from the river, along the crest, on the western face of which the stratum of spathic ore is more or less exposed. The length of the line in this range, along which, at various openings the ore has been discovered in profitable quantity, is about two miles. To the northward, the hills are somewhat higher, and the stratification may possibly be disturbed, though the rapid examination of the locality which I made in November last did not, include any determination of this

Jan 1, 1876

H. H. Kellogg (Columbia University)—The accurate measurements of the equilibrium gas ratios for the reaction: Pb(1) + H2S = PbS(c) + H2 [I] reported in this paper are a distinct contribution to the literature, and the authors are to be congratulated. I wish to comment, however, on the correlation of the data which is presented. The authors show a straight line correlation of log H2S/H2 vs 1/T, Fig. 1, and are satisfied with this for calculation of ?Fo even when extrapolated to low temperature (427 °C). Heat capacity data for the constituents of this reaction are available (at least to 900°K), however, and ACP for reaction [I] is finite and positive in the temperature range studied. Simplification of the heat capacity equations yields: ?CP= 2.71 + 1.65 x 10-3T (298°-900°K) This positive value of ?CP should result in a small but noticeable curvature of a plot of log K vs 1/T. That the experimental data fail to show such a curvature may be traced to another oversimplification of the author's treatment of their data. They assume that the activity of liquid lead is unity for all temperatures, so that

Jan 1, 1961

We often read and hear, especially in the United States, that we are running out of critical metals. These are vague forebodings of stagna- tion or winding down of our civilization. Our technological progress has been rapid in the last 50 years and is still advancing at an accelerated rate, and predictions of its long-term impact on consumption and production of metals are more hazardous than ever in the light of the great economic and political shifts that are bound to continue. There are many factors that will have a hardly predictable but profound effect on pro- duction and consumption of metals over a time span of, say, 25 years. Among such factors are recycling, substitution, availability of capital, direct involvement of governments in financing and production, and the capability of producing much lower grade ores at possibly much higher prices relative to costs in the event of scarcity. I must state at the outset that my discussion of this topic does not take into account the role that deep-sea nodules containing copper, nickel, cobalt, and manganese may play, because I don't believe production from these deposits will be of much significance within the 25 year span I will be discussing.

Jan 1, 1978

By B. R. Mohal, F. F. Aplan, S. Chander

"The wetting behavior of coal has been determined in the presence of nonyl and octyl series of nonionic surfactants containing polyethoxy groups of different sizes. The wetting behavior was determined by a modified Walker technique and contact angle measurements. The results show that the wetting rate of coal varies with coal rank, structure of the hydrocarbon chain and number of ethoxy groups in the hydrophilic group of the surfactant. A close relationship has been observed between the wetting rates and the short-time advancing contact angles.INTRODUCTIONNonionic surfactants are used in many applications to improve wettability of solids. They can be used as dispersing agents [ 1 ] or dust suppressants [ 2-5] and to control the flotation, flocculation, filtration and flowability of particulates. This study was undertaken to study the effect of a series of nonionic surfactants on the wetting behavior of coal. Two series of surfactants, namely, ethoxylated nonyl and octyl phenols were used. The nonyl phenol series contains a linear hydrocarbon chain containing nine carbon atoms ( CH3 ( CH2 ) 8-C6H4-( OC2H4 )""' where n is the number of ethoxy groups). The octyl phenol series contains a branched hydrocarbon chain containing eight carbon atoms ( ( CH3 ) 3CCH2C ( CH3 ) 2-C6H4-( OC2H4)"").Initial wetting rates - modified Walker techniqueWalker et al. [ 6] developed a sink test to determine the wettability of coal particles. In this technique, coal particles are dropped individually onto the surface of surfactant solutions of different concentrations, and the most dilute concentration in which coal would sink ""instantaneously"" is determined. This technique is a variation of a procedure initially developed by Draves and Clarkson [ 7] to determine the effect of surfactants on wettability of cotton fibers."

Jan 1, 1989

By Mitchell G. W, Purvis A. H

The Lady Loretta silver-lead-zinc deposit lies north of Mount Isa in folded and faulted Proterozoic carbonate sediments. The deposit was discovered in the late 1960's as a result of a soil geochemical survey. Subsequent surface drilling outlined mineralisation folded into a synclinal structure extending to a depth of 460 m and containing exceptionally high grades within the keel of the syncline. Pancontinental Mining Limited and Outokumpu Oy of Finland acquired the property in 1985.

Jan 1, 1988

By Atmaram H. Soni

A statistical study of machinability led the writer to examine existing data in regard to a thermal conductivity-mechanical properties relationship. Various functional relationships were proposed and the multiple correlation determined by statistical methods discussed in detail in the 1iterature.4 The relationship having the greatest engineering and statistical significance is discussed below. The data for cast and wrought aluminum alloys''2 have been compiled and analyzed separately. The results of these analyses are presented in Table I. The empirical equations for estimating the thermal conductivity (cal sec-' cm-I °C) are: for cast aluminum alloys K = 0.584 -0.00984/ -0.00263 Hb [1] and for wrought aluminum alloys K = 0.604 -0.00424l- 0.00170 Hb [2] where 1 and Hb are the percentage elongation and Brinell hardness number. Results of a similar analysis pertaining to stainless steel3 are also given in Table I. This empirical equation for estimating thermal conductivity (Btu per sq ft per hr per °F per in.) is K = 216.19- 1.716l - 0.0997 Hb [3] The relationship between electrical resistivity and mechanical properties was also examined for aluminum alloys using the same statistical method. These results are listed in Table II. While the situation of exact multiple correlation

Jan 1, 1965

By Julian M. Avery

In its dual role of pig-iron smelter and gas producer, the blast furnace is a remarkably satisfactory and efficient apparatus. Many metallurgists and engineers have pointed out, however, that since the primary function of the blast furnace is to produce pig iron at the lowest possible cost, its function as a gas producer should be subordinated to this primary purpose. During the past 10 years or more, improvements in blast-furnace technique and economy have, in fact, been directed primarily to increasing efficiency in the use of the reducing power of the gases produced by combustion of coke at the tuyeres, to reduce iron ore within the furnace. The net over-all result is a decrease in the fuel value of the top gas per unit of volume, and per ton of pig iron, which is evidently more than offset in value by the corollary saving in coke and the possibility of increased furnace capacity, for otherwise there would be no point in making such improvements. The purpose of the present paper is to suggest that, while progress has been made in this direction, there is another approach to the problem of increasing the chemical and thermal efficiency of the blast furnace in its primary role as a pig-iron smelter, which appears to offer possibilities of improvement in over-all ecorlomy of a different order of magnitude than results thus far obtained by the use of other expedients. The present argument is based in large part upon the hypothesis that the efficiency and economics of pig-iron smelting are seriously and adversely affected by the phenomenon known as "solution loss," and that the problem of solution loss call be successfully attacked by increasing the over-all pressure; i.e., the "top prcssure" under which the furnace is operated. It is indicated that pressure operation may also be expected to result in concomitant benefits, which may be summed up as generally improved operating conditions, together with a substantial saving in fuel and/or a substantial increase in furnace capacity. In a broad sense, the suggestion of pressure operation of the pig-iron blast furnace is not new, for operation under moderately increased over-all pressure was suggested as early as 1871, by no less an authority than

Jan 1, 1938

By Julian M. Avery

In its dual role of pig-iron smelter and gas producer, the blast furnace is a remarkably satisfactory and efficient apparatus. Many metallurgists and engineers have pointed out, however, that since the primary function of the blast furnace is to produce pig iron at the lowest possible cost, its function as a gas producer should be subordinated to this primary purpose. During the past 10 years or more, improvements in blast-furnace technique and economy have, in fact, been directed primarily to increasing efficiency in the use of the reducing power of the gases produced by combustion of coke at the tuyeres, to reduce iron ore within the furnace. The net over-all result is a decrease in the fuel value of the top gas per unit of volume, and per ton of pig iron, which is evidently more than offset in value by the corollary saving in coke and the possibility of increased furnace capacity, for otherwise there would be no point in making such improvements. The purpose of the present paper is to suggest that, while progress has been made in this direction, there is another approach to the problem of increasing the chemical and thermal efficiency of the blast furnace in its primary role as a pig-iron smelter, which appears to offer possibilities of improvement in over-all ecorlomy of a different order of magnitude than results thus far obtained by the use of other expedients. The present argument is based in large part upon the hypothesis that the efficiency and economics of pig-iron smelting are seriously and adversely affected by the phenomenon known as "solution loss," and that the problem of solution loss call be successfully attacked by increasing the over-all pressure; i.e., the "top prcssure" under which the furnace is operated. It is indicated that pressure operation may also be expected to result in concomitant benefits, which may be summed up as generally improved operating conditions, together with a substantial saving in fuel and/or a substantial increase in furnace capacity. In a broad sense, the suggestion of pressure operation of the pig-iron blast furnace is not new, for operation under moderately increased over-all pressure was suggested as early as 1871, by no less an authority than

Jan 1, 1938

By Derek Morris, Vito Saccheri

In the monitoring of seismic exploration (whether by explosive or vibratory energy sources), the intensity of shaking at neighboring structures can now be measured quite accurately and comprehensively with portable equipment. However, the interpretation of the results is open to considerable debate and mis-interpretation. One conventional approach is simply to compare the maximum measured peak particle velocity (PPV) with a permissible standard – usually 0.5 inches/sec (1.3 cm/sec) because this is the value generally referred to in the U.S. Bureau of Mines standard. This can be very conservative, both for surface structures, and especially for buried structures like pipes, for which absolute reliance on PPV obscures the true complexity of field problems. Quite apart from the fact that the full Bureau of Mines standard is actually a reasonably complex function of frequency (for the simple reason that in differing parts of the frequency spectrum, damage may be displacement or acceleration controlled), the effects of spatial direction and orientation are often ignored.

Jan 1, 2009

By M. van Swaay, C. E. Birchenall

Palladium has a large capacity for the dissolution or occlusion of hydrogen; the gas also diffuses very rapidly through the metal. Palladium thimbles are widely used in the laboratory for purification of hydrogen by diffusion. The use of palladium filters could be extended to several large-scale applications if greater stability of the permeation process could be attained. In this paper a number of aspects contributing toward this goal are discussed, and new data on solubility and diffusivity are given. Palladium sheets of 0.005, 0.010, or 0.020 in. thickness were prepared by three procedures: casting and rolling, sintering palladium powder, and sintering palladium powder to which 0.1 pct thorium oxide had been added. Half-inch diam circular specimens were cut and clamped in a stainless steel holder provided with knife edges to seal the palladium sheet with soft copper gaskets. The seals were tested for leaks at l0-5 mm Hg. No difficulties from this source were encountered even after many temperature cycles in the system. The holder was silver-soldered to Kovar-glass seals and attached to the system through glass ball joints. Each joint was sealed with Apiezon wax and was adjacent to a cold trap. In several experiments the holders were fused directly into the system, eliminating the ball joints, to show that the wax did not affect the filter. Three filter holders were supported in holes in a stainless steel cylinder, which also acted as a temperature equalizing block inside the resistance wound furnace. The measuring thermocouple was inserted in one of the holders. A potentiometric controller with control thermocouple on the furnace heater winding maintained ± 0.2oC. Electrolytic hydrogen was purified and stored as shown in the flow diagram, Fig. 1. It could be admitted to either or both sides of the palladium specimens. Only a mechanical pump was used, for even high pumping speeds would not bring the pressure on the off-gas side of the filter below 10 to 50p Hg owing to the rapid hydrogen flow through the filters. A series of steady-state permeability studies allowed identification of several conditions of permeability loss. A constant fore pressure was maintained while the low-pressure face was pumped. After enough time had elapsed for a steady flow to be established the pump was cut off, and the rate of pressure increase in a thermostated bulb was measured to determine the flow rate. The time delay method of Daynes1,9 was adopted since it offered the possibility of determining solubilities and diffusivities. For each measurement both sides of the filter were evacuated for 15 min, which gave about 10-4mm Hg residual pressure. Hydrogen was admitted to one side or the other of the filter at a fixed pressure. The pressure on the off-gas side was observed as a function of time. A

Jan 1, 1961

By T. R. Heflin

The paper provides a comprehensive discussion of pump selection for the hydrometallurgical industry. Material suitability, in addition to proper size and design, will provide extended life for pumps in erosion /corrosion service.

Jan 1, 1979

By Braaksma M, Dudley K

The Girilambone Copper Mine is located in central New South Wales and has been operational since May 1993. Girilambone is operated by the Girilambone Copper Company (GCC) which is a joint venture between Straits Resources (60 per cent) and Nord Resources (40 per cent). The mine complex consists of an open cut pit, ore crushing and stacking, heap leaching, solvent extraction (SX) and electrowinning (EW) allowing for the recovery of 14 600 tpa of LME grade A cathode copper. The leaching and SX-EW plant have been described previously by Rear, Taylor and Busby (1994) and Miller (1994).

Jan 1, 1996

By W. T. Thom

Interest naturally attaches to fissuring and subsidence of the earth's surface, whatever the cause may be, and the induced movement and fissuring of the impervious strata overlying an oil sand is of even greater practical importance because of its bearing upon the recoverability of the portion of the oil not already extracted or extractable by ordinary production methods. It is probably true that significant ground movement induced by oil production occurs only in oil fields in relatively young formations, where the oil comes from incoherent or only slightly cemented sands and oil-soaked clays, but inasmuch as a great proportion of our "gusher" wells produce from "running" sands and yield a large part of the total oil output, it seems worth while to make an effort to inspire the collection and recording of data indicating the nature and magnitude of oil-field subsidence, both surface and subsurface. Goose Creek Field The single known instance in which the nature and magnitude of the surface subsidence incident to petroleum withdrawal has been accurately ascertained is that in the Goose Creek oil field of Texas, described by Pratt and Johnson.' There subsidence caused the submergence of a considerable area within the oil field, and, because the title to the naturally submerged lands of Texas rests in the State, it became necessary to determine whether the submergence was due to natural or artificial causes. A detailed study revealed that the sunken area conformed very closely to the limits of the productive oil field and that the cumulative depression over an eight-year period ranged from zero at the margin to 3.25 ft. at the center. This depression was accompanied by the development of local marginal surface fractures along which the subsiding ares

Jan 1, 1927

By J. B. Neale

FRom the beginning of its activities, the members of the National Production Committee have felt that the following points were essential to the success of its work: The operators must feel that their operations were not 100 per cent. efficient; that they should be courteous and fair in their treatment of their employees; and that they should set an example of hard work and patriotic interest in increased production. Every move made must appeal to the sense of fairness of all parties concerned. The men must feel that in working more faithfully, and consequently producing more coal, they are rendering a distinct service to their Government in the time of its great need. As the workers feel that greater efficiency on their part results only in greater profits to the operators, the advantage to the operator should be lost sight of, as far as possible, and the advantage to the Government in fighting the war emphasized. Both operators and workers should know that the Government considered increased production an obligation, and opportunity for service, resting on both parties and not on the operators or the workers alone, and that both parties could very much better the efficiency of the pre-war period. Had the committee intimated that it thought the coal shortage was due entirely to the idleness and inefficiency of the workers, its campaign would have failed, for the men would have resented the charge because only too frequently their efforts to produce more coal were thwarted by bad management; besides, the operators would have lacked stimulus to better effort. On the other hand, had the impression been given that the committee thought that the coal shortage was due entirely to bad management, the operators would have resented the charge because only too frequently their efforts to produce more coal were thwarted by the idleness and inefficiency of the workers; and the workers, having been thus indirectly pronounced 100 per cent. efficient and patriotic, would have lacked stimulus to better effort.

Jan 1, 1920

By B. Bernstrom

A 22-ft diam, 7-ft long, wet autogenous grinding mill was installed in the new Cretaceous plant of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. to prepare crude iron ore for concentration in spirals and flotation cells. The paper describes the flowsheet and gives a description of the operating and metallurgical results that have been obtained. These results include capacity, horsepower, operating problems and a comparison of pilot plant results with those obtained in commercial operation. The Cretaceous plant at the Hill Annex mine of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. was designed with a wet autogenous mill for grinding low grade iron ore so that it could be concentrated by spirals and flotation cells. The plant, on the west end of the Minnesota's Mesabi Range, went into operation in June 1961, and preliminary operating and metallurgical information describing the performance of this mill can now be given. The crude is lean ore from the Cretaceous iron foundation. This formation is a beach deposit of Cretaceous age that overlies the Precambrian direct shipping and concentrating ores. This rock in nature is not extremely hard but is quite resilient, resisting blasting in mining and size reduction in milling. It contains hematite as water-rounded particles and other fragments of the underlying iron formation and adjacent rocks cemented together by a high alumina-silica ferruginous matrix. It is interspersed with hard dense hematite agglomerates and also contains granite pebbles and boulders that were not cleaned off during removal of the surface. It has a 3.48 sp gr and in the stockpile the material consists of frag-

Jan 1, 1962