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By Kym L. Morton

Ground water and associated pore pressure represent elements which can have a negative impact on surface mining and slope stability. Ground water flow and deformation within a slope influence each other. An increase in pore pressure will result in a decrease of effective stress; and conversely if the pore pressure decreases, the effective stress increases. Slope analysis and slope design calculations require good information on pore pressure distribution around an open pit excavation. Until recently very little pore pressure data was available and assumptions had to be used. Location and design of measuring points depend on geological and structural setting, geotechnical domains and practicality. Good planning and the use of sensitive point piezometers to measure in situ pore pressures means that real-time data can be collected and used for the construction of flow nets, the determination of pore pressure distribution around an open pit mine, the validation of the dewatering/depressurization requirements, the calculation of the efficiency of the dewatering system and finally the use of pore pressure data in slope stability analysis. The recommended layout for a monitoring system, types and design of piezometers, data collection and use of the pore pressure data are presented.

Jan 1, 2008

By H. E. Wilde

"Zinc has been used for many years as a galvanic coating for the protection of steel. Electrochemical measurements show that zinc actually overprotects steel. The corrosion rate of DQSK (drawing quality semi-killed) steel in air saturated salt water was determined as a Junction of applied cathodic potential. The resulting data indicate that at a critical cathodic over potential of - O. 725 Vsce an acceptably low corrosion rate of less than 1 mpy occurs. Using the developed criterion, alloys of Zn/X and AL/X were produced and evaluated in galvanic contact with steel in a standard laboratory test. The results indicate that Zn /Mn, Zn /Co, AI/Mg/Si and AI/Mg/Ge alloys offer excellent galvanic protection along with (a) no hydrogen evolution, and (b) improved dissolution life over Zn coatings.IntroductionZinc coated (galvanized) steel has been successfully used in applications where bare (or painted non-galvanized) steel would suffer corrosive attack. In general, galvanic coupling to zinc, as either an anode or a coating, is an effective means for combatting steel corrosion. Because of this, the use of galvanized steel has increased markedly, stimulated primarily by automobile manufacurers seeking to extend the corrosion warranties on automobiles(1).Although effective, zinc coatings are not without a number of drawbacks which warrant efforts to improve them. For example, because of the widely differing electrode potentials between zinc and steel ( - 1.05 Vsce and - 0.60 Vscc, respectively, in air saturated NaCl solutions), the zinc corrodes at a rapid rate to protect the steel. This is reflected in the limited lifetimes of galvanized unpainted siding. The basic electrochemistry controlling the situation is shown in Figure 1, for a system controlled by oxygen reduction. The zinc corrodes sacrificially to protect the steel, while cathodically polarizing the steel to a potential near that of zinc's open circuit anode potential."

Jan 1, 1990

By Robert C. Freas

Lime, the versatile chemical is, generally speaking, a calcined or burned form of limestone commonly known as quicklime, calcium oxide or, when water is added, calcium hydroxide or slaked lime. Almost 40 different lime products are available, a fact which has contributed to the rather loose use of the term lime as well as to confusion and misunderstanding. The term is frequently, albeit erroneously, used to denote almost any kind of calcareous material or finely ground form of limestone or dolomite. Lime is made from high calcium or high magnesium limestone, generally having a minimum of 97% combined carbonate content. Normally, high calcium lime has less than 5% MgO. When the lime is produced from a high magnesium limestone, the product is referred to as dolomitic lime. Calcination/Hydration Calcination, or the production of lime, has its origins in the earliest days of alchemy, with the general reaction class having been identified in an Arabic text printed in 1000 AD. It was much later, however, in the mid-1700s to the mid-1800s before this basic reaction became understood from scientific perspective. The pro- duction of lime has been so basic and simple that its underlying scientific principles have over the years received only intermittent investigation. Rather, much of the thought and inquiry has been directed toward the development of kilns. Thus, it has only been in the last 25 to 30 years that lime has received any concentrated scientific investigation relative to the thermodynamics and kinetics of the calcination and hydration reactions. Particular emphasis has been focused upon energy consumption and fuel efficiency. Calcination refers to a broad class of reactions, of which the limeflimestone reaction is just one, wherein a substance is heated to less than its melting point, resulting is a weight gain or weight loss. In the calcination of limestone to produce lime, the basic chemical reaction is as follows: [ ] While there is nearly universal agreement bout the equilibrium conditions related to the limestone/lime reaction above, there have been numerous and varied calcination models developed for the reaction. Recent investigations have resulted in the development of the model shown in [Fig. 1]. From this model it can be seen that calcination is a function of both temperature and CO, pressure. It does not, however, provide any indication of the rate at which the reaction takes place. Calcination is strongly time variant with different limestones. In a very broad sense this relates to the fact that the calcination reaction starts on the exterior surface of the limestone and then proceeds toward the center. As the calcination reaction takes place, the CO2 released at the interface must make its way through the lime to the exterior surface. Since calcination is limited by gas diffusion to the surface of the partially calcined limestone, the natural impurities in the stone, differences in crystallinity, grain boundary chemistry, density variations, and imperfections in the atomic lattice all play a significant role in calcination rate. Therefore, the suitability of a given limestone as a source material for lime production can be determined only after completion of adequate burn tests designed to evaluate the various limiting factors. When a coal-fired kiln system is considered, the entire process of calcination is made even more complex by the introduction of additional chemical constituents into the calcination environment. The reader is referred to the references for a more detailed description of the complete calcination reaction and the differences inherent between differing kiln systems. In the foregoing discussion it was noted that CO2 is released during the reaction. This release results in a 44% weight loss during the complete calcination of a high calcium limestone, or a 48% weight loss for a highly dolomitic limestone. The trade term for this weight percent loss is loss on ignition, or LOI. This weight loss is frequently used as a measure of the completeness of calcination. Because the calcination reaction is chemically reversible, quicklime or burned lime is frequently referred to a being highly reactive, or unstable. The more stable form of lime, hydrated lime, is commonly preferred and generally specified by the user. Hydrated lime is obtained by adding water to quicklime to produce a dry, fine powder. Quicklime's affinity for moisture is then satisfied, although it still retains a strong affinity for CO2.

Jan 1, 1994

By W. D. Bensema, J. W. Adams, W. W. Scott, H. Dobroski

Measurements of the absolute value of electromagnetic noise and attenuation along a hoist rope were made in an operating hard-rock mine, Lucky Friday Mine, located near Wallace, Idaho. Spectra of electromagnetic noise generated by various pieces of equipment, spectra of specific noise signals at various depths, and noise and attenuation on the 4250 foot (1295 meter) hoist, were measured. Three techniques were used to make the measurements. First, noise was measured over the en- tire electromagnetic spectrum of interest for brief time periods. Data were recorded using broadband analog magnetic tape for later transformation to spectral plots. Second, noise amplitudes were recorded at several discrete frequencies for a sufficient amount of time to provide data for amplitude probability distributions. A third technique gave attenuation data through the direct measurement of field strength at various depths. The specific measured results are given in a number of spectral plots, amplitude probability distribution plots and amplitude curves as a function of depth.

Jan 10, 1974

By Zhibiao Guo, Jinglin You, Dongshan Yang, Yuanxin Zhao, Yuhui Li, Jingwei Gao

By utilizing collapsed gangue to create gob ribs, roof cutting and roadway maintenance (RCRM) technology enables coal pillar-free mining, presenting a novel approach. Due to their inherent structure, faults, which are common geological formations, can lead to various hazards, including fault sliding and significant deformation of roadways. In this study, a selfdesigned underground engineering simulation test device is utilized to imitate the cross-fault mining of the 11,101 working face in the Qipanjing Coal Mine (East). The objective is to examine the behavior of the surrounding rock and stress evolution. Generally, the experimental findings demonstrate that compared to the return air roadway, the RCRM roadway experiences a 3.3% decrease in maximum coal rib stress. This suggests that the implementation of this technique can effectively alleviate the stress on the surrounding rock of the roadway. The maximum coal rib stress, lateral pressure of the gob rib, and maximum deformation of the roof near the fault of the RCRM roadway are 11.3%, 25.6%, and 86.1% greater than those of the conventional geological conditions, respectively. The roadway deformation is negatively impacted by the fault structure. Based on experimental data and field measurements, a discrepancy in the maximum roof deformation between the test and field monitoring results under typical geological conditions is 8%. This indicates a favorable alignment between the test results and the real-life scenario. In conclusion, the proposed targeted control technique is implemented in the field by integrating the mining invariant equation and gangue volume expansion equation. This not only validates the effectiveness of the technology but also offers valuable insights for the future utilization of RCRM technology under comparable circumstances.

Feb 20, 2024

By Jian Wang, Kun Li, Hao Wu, Juan Nan

In this paper, in order to solve the problems of low accuracy and slow speed of fire flame recognition, an extreme learning machine (ELM) method based on improved Harris hawks optimization (IHHO) is proposed for fire flame recognition. A novel Harris hawks optimization (HHO) is used to solve the problem of parameter selection of ELM. In order to solve the problem that the original HHO is prone to fall into local optimum, firstly circle mapping is used to initialize the population to solve the problem of uneven distribution and small range of the initial population. Then the formula of escaping energy of HHO is modified to make the population have a large range in the middle and late iterations while gradually decreasing in the whole iteration process. Thus, the exploitation stage in HHO is improved to make the search range smaller near the optimal solution to accelerate the convergence process. Finally, at the end of each iteration, a certain number of individuals are selected to perform Gaussian and Cauchy hybrid mutation to prevent the IHHO from falling into local optimization. Through three groups of experiments, the effectiveness of the proposed IHHO and IHHO-ELM is verified. In experiment 1, the convergence performance of IHHO is significantly better than that of the other remaining algorithms in the test results of six benchmark functions. In experiments 2 and 3 of real fire flame recognition case, IHHO-ELM outperforms other remaining algorithms on the whole and has significant advantages in some indexes.

Jan 17, 2023

By Charles E. Mann, Douglas J. Lootens, Rufino B. Bomasang

INTRODUCTION The economy of the Philippines, like that of many other developing nations, has been severely strained by the rapid escalation of imported crude oil prices over the past decade. In an effort to reduce its dependence on imported crude, significantly increased emphasis, both in the public and private sectors, is being placed on the rapid development of Philippine coal resources. This paper is designed to present an overview of the Philippine coal industry, its historical development, present status, and future potential. COAL RESOURCES AND RESERVES In 1977, a British consulting firm collated all available data on Philippine coal resources and estimated the total coals potential at about 0.9 to 1.4 billion metric tons (mt). In 1981, using more recent data the Philippine Bureau of Energy Development (BED) estimated the potential at 1.7 billion mt. The BED estimated the proven coal reserves at 257 million mt. These coal resources are scattered throughout the major islands comprising the Philippine archipelago. However, about 52 percent of the currently proven reserves are located in the tiny island of Semirara between the islands of Mindoro and Panay. About 25 percent is located in the Cagayan Valley in northeastern Luzon while 13 percent is located in Mindanao. The remaining 10 percent is scattered in the islands of Cebu, Samar, Mindoro, Negros, Polillo, Batan, and Catanduanes. The bulk of Philippine coal is sub-bituminous in rank. Some bituminous coal with coking properties has been reported in Malangas, Zamboanga del Sur in western Mindanao, and in Catanduanes, but the exact tonnages have not been accurately established. It is believed, however, to be at most 5 million tons. A little semi-anthracite coal exists in Malangas with the remaining unmined reserves estimated at a little more than one million tons. Table 1 shows the quality ranges of Philippine coal deposits.. Figure 1 shows the distribution of known Philippine coal resources PHILIPPINE COAL PRODUCTION In 1981, total coal production was 330,720 mt. Though modest by world standards, this was the highest production figure in Philippine coal mining history. This came from 25 mines, mainly small scale underground mines of capacities varying from 10 to 100 tons per day (tpd). The actual production capability was about 800,000 mt in 1981, but the producers had to scale down production to the level of local demand. Even then, some 50,000 tons of coal remained unused by year-end. The 1981 production came from the following areas: Cebu 224,751 mt (68%) Zamboanga del Sur 57,095 mt (17%) Semirara 13,222 mt (4%) Polillo 17,132 mt (5%) Cebu has always been the main source of Philippine coal production. Coal mining has been carried out in Cebu for the last 50 years, although it has been characterized by a very crude mining technology. Due to the limited size of coal deposits and complicated geology, however, Cebu's share of the total national production is expected to go down to only 10 percent by 1985. Except for Semirara's open-pit production, the balance of Philippine coal production comes from underground mines. These underground mines generally use room-and-pillar methods, except for those at Zamboanga del Sur and Polillo which use modified longwall methods patterned after those used in Taiwan. Due to the much higher mining recovery, most underground mines are now planning on switching to longwall. At Semirara, an open pit mine is now being developed for a one million ton per year capacity by 1984, and will then be the largest Philippine coal mine. While present earthmoving work is done with bulldozers, loaders, and trucks, the main coal extraction equipment will be bucket wheel excavators imported from Austria. PRESENT COAL UTILIZATION Existing coal production is sold mainly to coal- fired cement plants and power plants. The balance is sold to a sugar central, a coconut oil mill, a food processing plant, and two plants producing carbide and ferro-silicon alloys.

Jan 1, 1982

By I. E. Campbell, R. I. Jaffe

Oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen are known to be absorbed by titanium at elevated temperatures. Ehrlichl reports that about 30 at. pct oxygen can be dissolved in solid solution by alpha-titanium. Nitrogen also has a solid solubility in alpha-titanium, but there is no information as to its extent. The solid solubility of hydrogen in titanium also is high. Kirshfeld and Sieverts2 report 50 at. pct soluble, while Hägg3 reports about 33 at. pct hydrogen to be soluble in alpha-titanium. General statements are made in the literature that oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen embrittle titanium, but no quantitative measurements have been made of the effect of these gases on the mechanical properties of the metal. One reason for this is the lack of a source of titanium pure enough to be considered a suitable starting material. Iodide-refined titanium, made by thermal decomposition of titanium iodide vapor on an incandescent wire,4 contains small amounts of carbon, silicon, iron, and aluminum, but is very low in oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen content, and, therefore, was used in this work. A further reason for the lack of quantitative information on the effect of these gases, particularly oxygen, is the difficulty of carrying out accurate analytical determinations at the low concentrations of interest in this work. For this reason, the oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen were added in measured amounts as gases, and diffused into the titanium, to avoid the necessity of chemical analysis. The purpose of the work reported here was to isolate and measure the effects of oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen on titanium of the highest purity available at the time. The concentrations studied were 0.25, 0.5, and 1 at. pct in each case. Experimental Work One-half of a 24-in. hairpin of iodide-refined titanium was available for this work. The rod was approximately 0.25-in. in diam and had a 0.003-in.tung sten core. From chemical and spectro-graphic analyses, the purity of the sample was estimated to be between 99.80 and 99.95 wt pct. The chief impurities (aside from the tungsten core) were iron (0.04 pct), silicon (0.01-0.1 pct), aluminum (0.05 pct), carbon (0.03 pct). The tungsten core constituted 0.05 pct by weight of the sample. Although some alloying undoubtedly took place between the tungsten and the titanium during the deposition reaction, the core remained substantially intact in the deposited metal. The initial average hardness of the titanium as deposited was 105 Vickers (10-kg load). The maximum hardness was 116 Vickers and the minimum 91 Vickers. The metal was somewhat harder than that currently being obtained by the iodide process, that is, 75-90 Vickers. The rod was cold swaged to ¼-in. diam and then cold rolled in diamond shaped rolls to about 0.080-in. square, using reductions of 15 pct in area per pass. The 0.080-in.-square wire was cut into 6-in. lengths for the preparation of the alloys by the gaseous absorption and diffusion method. ADDITION OF OXYGEN, NITROGEN, AND HYDROGEN TO TITANIUM A modified Sieverts' absorption apparatus, shown in Fig 1, was used in

Jan 1, 1950

By Jeffrey Shawn Peterson

Among underground coal miners, hearing loss remains one of the most common occupational illnesses. In response, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts research to reduce the noise emission of various underground coal mining equipment, an example of which is a roof bolting machine (RBM). After the removal of coal or rock, the remaining strata may be subject to fall, either from overhead (the roof) or from the side (the rib). One method used in underground coal-mines to prevent failures requires the installation of roof bolts. The roof bolting machine operator trams the machine to the required location, drills a hole into the strata, and then installs a roof bolt, supporting the roof or the rib, as the case may be. Field studies support the premise that, on average, drilling noise is the loudest noise that a roof bolting machine operator would be exposed to and contributes significantly to the operators? noise exposure. NIOSH has determined that the drill steel radiates a significant amount of noise during drilling. NIOSH is developing bit and chuck isolators to reduce vibration, and thus noise radiation of the drill steel, with the longer-term goal of reducing roof bolting machine operator noise exposure. Laboratory testing has shown that operator ear sound pressure levels may be reduced by 3 to 7 dB(A), depending upon the test configuration and drilling media.

Jan 1, 2009

By J. P. Bennett

Based on previous Bureau of Mines research indicating that improved high-temperature properties could be achieved for periclase refractories through chemical additions, the Bureau investigated the properties of full-size bricks produced from chemically modified periclase refractory grains and the suitability of making such chemical additions to Mg(OH)2 slurries prior to production of the periclase grains. In full-size brick testing, strength values, both hot and cold, for the optimized bricks were superior to those for a commercial 98-wt-pct-MgO refractory. The best results were obtained for a natural magnesite with an adjusted CaO:Si02 (C:S) ratio of 3.0 and a 1.0-wt-pct addition of Zr02 and for a seawater periclase with an adjusted C:S ratio of 2.5 and a 0.5-wt-pct addition of Mn02. For samples produced from chemically modified Mg(OH)2 slurries, additions of both Mn02 and Zr02 and an increase in C:S ratios produced significant increases in hot flexural strength, similar to those resulting from chemical additions made to periclase grains. The most effective modifications were additions of Mn02 to brine-derived periclases having a C:S ratio adjusted to 3.0. These results on chemically modified magnesia refractories indicate that such material could potentially substitute for magnesiachrome refractories containing imported chromite.

Jan 1, 1984

By Gifford E. White

Explanations of the basic procedure for making earth-conductivity studies by the Eltran method have already appeared in several placeS. 1,2,3 In its essentials, this method consists of applying step functions of voltage to one pair of earth grounds and measuring the transient potential resulting at a separate pair of ground points. As previously pointed out,' the transient potential resulting from a suddenly applied steady voltage is the indicia1 transfer function of Carson1 6 which has been extensively studied in network theory. The discussion here, with one special exception, will ignore the problem of how the physical configuration of the earth affects the transient response voltage; it appears that this phase of the problem has been solved in only a few special cases having any direct bearing on the prospecting problem. Entirely distinct from the potential-theory aspect of the conductivity problem is the interesting material that can be had from studying the well-known network relations between cause and effect in linear circuits, and thus deducing criteria for the application of the several experimental methods available. To do this, only one assumption need be made about the nature of the earth. The earth is to be considered a linear conductor within the tolerance of ordinary measurements. The discussion will be restricted to collinear electrode configuration like that of Fig. I, since this is the only type of spread practical for use with driving currents that vary with time. Here one pair of grounds carries the driving current, and in line with these and external to them is a RECORDING Fair of potential probes. The problem will be to consider the relation between the different voltages appearing between the potential circuit terminals when various types of driving voltage sources are inserted in the current circuit. Suppose that the grounding points G, and G2 make good contact with the earth, and that a battery of sufficient voltage to produce one ampere of direct current is introduced into the current circuit by the closing of a switch. The potential transient response to such a voltage can be measured by taking an oscillogram at the potential Directors terminals, giving the time function that has been called A(l).4 This time function has been solved for analytically in the case of a homogeneous earth,"' and the

Jan 1, 1946

By Gifford E. White

Explanations of the basic procedure for making earth-conductivity studies by the Eltran method have already appeared in several placeS. 1,2,3 In its essentials, this method consists of applying step functions of voltage to one pair of earth grounds and measuring the transient potential resulting at a separate pair of ground points. As previously pointed out,' the transient potential resulting from a suddenly applied steady voltage is the indicia1 transfer function of Carson1 6 which has been extensively studied in network theory. The discussion here, with one special exception, will ignore the problem of how the physical configuration of the earth affects the transient response voltage; it appears that this phase of the problem has been solved in only a few special cases having any direct bearing on the prospecting problem. Entirely distinct from the potential-theory aspect of the conductivity problem is the interesting material that can be had from studying the well-known network relations between cause and effect in linear circuits, and thus deducing criteria for the application of the several experimental methods available. To do this, only one assumption need be made about the nature of the earth. The earth is to be considered a linear conductor within the tolerance of ordinary measurements. The discussion will be restricted to collinear electrode configuration like that of Fig. I, since this is the only type of spread practical for use with driving currents that vary with time. Here one pair of grounds carries the driving current, and in line with these and external to them is a RECORDING Fair of potential probes. The problem will be to consider the relation between the different voltages appearing between the potential circuit terminals when various types of driving voltage sources are inserted in the current circuit. Suppose that the grounding points G, and G2 make good contact with the earth, and that a battery of sufficient voltage to produce one ampere of direct current is introduced into the current circuit by the closing of a switch. The potential transient response to such a voltage can be measured by taking an oscillogram at the potential Directors terminals, giving the time function that has been called A(l).4 This time function has been solved for analytically in the case of a homogeneous earth,"' and the

Jan 1, 1946

By Francis Foley

IN THE first report1 disks of steel of- known composition and history were exposed, under carefully prescribed conditions, to impacts of explosion products resulting from the explosion of 50-gm. charges of explosives having well-determined rates of detonation, or to, impacts of a weight of known mass, falling through measured distances. There were available at the Bureau of Mines Experiment Station five explosives, having rates of detonation of 5716, 4470, 3190, 2296, and 1523 meters per second. It being desired to continue this exposure downward, and no explosives with a lesser rate of detonation being at hand, resort was had to the impact of a falling weight, the differences in the velocity of impact being attained by varying the height from which the weight was allowed to fall. It was expected by this means to demonstrate experimentally that the development of Neumann bands was determined by the suddenness of the deformation of the metal in which they were produced. But while progressive deformations were obtained with the explosive charges, the falling-weight method failed because the tup was progressively deformed, also the disks were so flattened as to be unfit for metallographic examination. A return, therefore, has been made to the use of explosives as the source of energy, an air-gap being interposed between the charge of explosive and the disk, as the effect diminishes as the function of the distance between the charge and the object on which the products of its explosion, or the shock wave from its detonation, impinge. The details of the arrangement of the tests by the air-gap method were the same as those described by Foley and Howell,2 except that after the system had been set up and the desired apparent specific gravity for the explosive

Jan 2, 1926

By Joern Katzer

It is vitally important to any tunnel project to have an accurate and reliable survey control network inside the tunnel for layouts, as-built surveys, and to provide guidance to the tunnel boring machine (TBM). However, the concepts and methodology to provide such a survey network are sometimes not well understood. For example, the first anticipated survey task that takes place during the bidding process is often ignored, which is to provide a comprehensive survey network preanalysis for the surface network and tunnel traverse based on survey statistics that will be used to make informed decisions on the survey requirements and methodology. Instead, these steps are often only vaguely based on previous results and prior tunneling experience. But each tunnel is different, and a solution that worked for one tunnel project might be unsuitable for another. The purpose of this paper is to provide tunnel project engineers, managers and surveyors with the general concepts for tunnel survey methodologies and examines several statistical tools for a basic horizontal and vertical tunnel survey preanalysis. These survey statistics tools provide useful estimates of the expected lateral and vertical tunnel traverse accuracies, but are not a replacement for a comprehensive tunnel network preanalysis. The proposed formulas do not take centering errors into account, are using average distances for each traverse leg, and assume that the survey data is free of outliers in the measurements. It is very important that the estimated instrument accuracy is based on true values that are reflective of measurement precisions that are actually achievable inside the tunnel to provide accurate results.

Dec 1, 2022

By E. G. Bailey

PLANTS that normally burn coal now able too obtain a substantial increase over their normal supply for their greater power needs, and also additional tonnage for extra storage against the uncertainties of the future. Many plants previously burning oil or gas have already been converted to coal, and those which must yet change to coal will undoubtedly be able to obtain ample tonnage of coal of standard quality at reasonable prices. What a contrast this is to the conditions of 25 years ago, when the shortage of coal and transportation led to prices of $5 to $6 per ton at the mines, and degradation of quality, until the already overburdened railroads were called upon to haul 100,000 ton per day of extra ash alone. This was the result of a runaway market and the loading of gob, slate, and sub-quality coal amounting to an estimated increase in ash of 5 per cent of the total tonnage hauled. The problem of getting increased steam output from inferior coal caused unbelievable reductions in the low normal boiler efficiency of that time and untold labor in firing the hand- and stoker-fed furnaces of that day.

Jan 1, 1942

By A. L. Marshall, F. J Norton

The object of this investigation was to make a comprehensive study of the degassing of molybdenum in order to determine how rigorous a treatment was necessary to completely remove sorbed gases from molybdenum electrodes in vacuum tubes. Some work has also been done with tungsten, nickel, iron and carbon. As a logical development of this work it has been shown that the gas is present throughout the body of the metal and a study has been made of the solubility of nitrogen in molybdenum and tungsten and the rate, of diffusion of nitrogen through molybdenum has been calculated. Tests were made on molybdenum from all the commercial sources and no difference was discovered in the nature of the gases present, the amounts or the ease of removal. The reason for this was apparent when a study was made of the manner in which gases are absorbed by gas-free molybdenum. It is necessary to heat molybdenum to 1760°C. in a vacuum of the order of 0.001 micron for a time which varies lineally with the thickness, in order to obtain a condition in which no further gas is evolved by the sample. A sample so degassed can be handled and subsequently assembled in a tube and then degassed readily. The gases obtained from molybdenum are carbon monoxide and nitrogen, the nitrogen being the more difficult to remove. Apparatus and Technique The apparatus is shown in Figs. I and 2. It consisted of two units, a degassing system and an analytical system. Each had a bake-out oven, as shown surrounding the systems in the sketches. The system , will be traced, starting from the sample in the degassing system. A water-cooled quartz chamber surrounded the sample. The high-frequency coil, which heated the sample, extended only around this chamber and was cooled by an air blast. High-frequency power of 1800-meter wave length was obtained from a self-rectifying oscillator circuit with a maximum power input of 20 kw. A graded seal connected the quartz to the rest of the apparatus, which was of hard glass. The temperature of the molybdenum sample was observed by an optical pyrometer through an optical window about 40 cm. distant from the sample. Since the object viewed under these conditions was not a black body, true temperature was not observed, but the so-called "brightness temperature." The correction of this to true temperature is discussed in a later section. The apparatus was taken apart just above the graded seal; the quartz chamber was slipped off, washed with nitric acid, water and alcohol, and dried by an air stream. The old sample was removed by unscrewing the lower nut, and the new

Jan 1, 1944

By A. L. Marshall, F. J. Norton

The object of this investigation was to make a comprehensive study of the degassing of molybdenum in order to determine how rigorous a treatment was necessary to completely remove sorbed gases from molybdenum electrodes in vacuum tubes. Some work has also been done with tungsten, nickel, iron and carbon. As a logical development of this work it has been shown that the gas is present throughout the body of the metal and a study has been made of the solubility of nitrogen in molybdenum and tungsten and the rate, of diffusion of nitrogen through molybdenum has been calculated. Tests were made on molybdenum from all the commercial sources and no difference was discovered in the nature of the gases present, the amounts or the ease of removal. The reason for this was apparent when a study was made of the manner in which gases are absorbed by gas-free molybdenum. It is necessary to heat molybdenum to 1760°C. in a vacuum of the order of 0.001 micron for a time which varies lineally with the thickness, in order to obtain a condition in which no further gas is evolved by the sample. A sample so degassed can be handled and subsequently assembled in a tube and then degassed readily. The gases obtained from molybdenum are carbon monoxide and nitrogen, the nitrogen being the more difficult to remove. Apparatus and Technique The apparatus is shown in Figs. I and 2. It consisted of two units, a degassing system and an analytical system. Each had a bake-out oven, as shown surrounding the systems in the sketches. The system , will be traced, starting from the sample in the degassing system. A water-cooled quartz chamber surrounded the sample. The high-frequency coil, which heated the sample, extended only around this chamber and was cooled by an air blast. High-frequency power of 1800-meter wave length was obtained from a self-rectifying oscillator circuit with a maximum power input of 20 kw. A graded seal connected the quartz to the rest of the apparatus, which was of hard glass. The temperature of the molybdenum sample was observed by an optical pyrometer through an optical window about 40 cm. distant from the sample. Since the object viewed under these conditions was not a black body, true temperature was not observed, but the so-called "brightness temperature." The correction of this to true temperature is discussed in a later section. The apparatus was taken apart just above the graded seal; the quartz chamber was slipped off, washed with nitric acid, water and alcohol, and dried by an air stream. The old sample was removed by unscrewing the lower nut, and the new

Jan 1, 1944

The selection of the ore haulage system is one of the most crucial decisions made in the development of an underground mining project. The haulage system is, once selected, one of the components of a mine that defines its ability to respond to changes in mining inventory and the market conditions for its products. Over the last decade, in Australia at least, this selection process has largely centred on the debate over the merits of shaft and decline truck haulage. Little attention, if any, was given to the application of inclined conveyor haulage as a real alternative to the shaft and truck haulage. This is despite well established precedents for its application in the underground coal industry and some limited applications in underground metalliferous mines. This paper seeks to explore the case for the application of inclined conveyors as a legitimate ore haulage system for underground mines. The case for conveyor haulage is illustrated by an overview of the application of conveyors at some existing operations, and discussion of what conveyors have to offer as a mine haulage system and the issues that are associated with them. Material drawn from the feasibility studies for NewcrestÆs Ridgeway mine and Telfer Deeps Project is presented as case studies that considered selection of inclined conveyor haulage. The purpose of these case studies is to highlight the value of impartially approaching tasks of this type with a robust plan. This plan should be able to respond to issues identified as the task progresses towards the objective of finding the right solution for an ore haulage system.

Jan 1, 2005

By K. Kavouridis

Coal is broadly recognized as sure, competitive, diversified, not vulnerable and predictable in price energy resource. In power generation coal is playing a dominant role in the EU-27 with 25% of installed capacity and almost one third of the power generation. The role played by the domestic resources and especially by coal are increasingly becoming the focus of the EU energy strategy. There is a strong pressure for the decarbonization of the energy mix. The Emission Trading system (ETs) can have an impact on the shift to lower carbon-intensity fuels. The impact of ETs on coal can be important, because it is very short sighted and only defines the period up to 2008-2012. The ETs CO2 regime must ensure that investment in coal-fired plants in the long term are supported. EU Research Institutes and Coal Industry identified an important CO2 reduction potential by improving the efficiency of the conversion of solid fuels into electricity. Highly efficient clean coal technologies can contribute to reasonable costs and challenge the issue of climate change. It must be pointed out that the EU Energy policy should now concentrate on the necessity to effectively support demonstration projects and to create the legal framework for the integrated approach of efficiency enhancement and CCS. It is not a right approach to implement CCS before the technology is demonstrated and before it is clear that it will be commercially viable.

Jan 1, 2007

By Donald F. Irwin

Amid the violent economic changes of recent years that have affected Canadian gold-mining operations so deeply, the discovery and early developments of Kirkland Lake might easily be overlooked. There was more than one "false dawn" for the district before developments finally established the fact of a superb mineralized zone extending through the present operating properties. Never far from the railway, Kirkland Lake has had the benefit of direct rail service for many years. The pioneer discovery on which the first mill and cyanide plant was erected was the "Tough-Oakes," this property being on what is now the eastern end of the producing area; some time later, the "Lake Shore" was discovered at the present center of the district, and a small plant was built upon it also. Both of these early treatment plants were of pre-war design. Progress in gold metallurgy has caused a gradual change in cyanide practice since the early days at Kirkland Lake, which may be observed in the various plants now operating there. From the beginning, it was recognized that Kirkland Lake ores were more responsive to cyanidation than to alternative recovery methods, and that their mineralization contained gold in very finely divided form. Although sulfides and tellurides are present, the quantity is small, being in the order of 1 or 2 per cent by weight, so that gravity concentration is undesirable, since gold is not confined to the sulfides. Some complication is offered by the presence of tellurides, which have caused lengthy controversy over their importance in recovery methods, but which are now generally regarded as less harmful in the light of increasingly high recoveries being obtained. Nevertheless, finely divided gold intimately associated with sulfides in the presence of tellurides; and occurring in the hard Kirkland Lake porphyry ore, substantially free from natural slime-forming constituents, indicates fine grinding. This has been the universal practice although the degree of grinding has varied a little among the different mills and is considerably finer now than formerly. The natural condition as outlined caused the establishment of fine grinding at an early stage in the development of Kirkland Lake, during the period of valuation of gold at, $20.67 per ounce. With the arrival

Jan 1, 1935