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By William Skinner, Jim Pae Lem, Massimiano Zanin

It is well known that the specific density of minerals has adverse influence on the classification performance of a hydrocyclone, particularly when liberated high density minerals such as gold or uranium are present in sulphide ores. These liberated heavy minerals often misreport to the underflow and recirculate to the system. Such phenomena does result in serious issues in a closed-grinding circuit, such as overgrinding, leading to production of flaky particles (as in gold) or ultrafines, in addition to increased energy inefficiency. In plants which present gold liberated at coarser size, loss of gold due to cyclone inefficiency is sometimes prevented by incorporating gravity concentrators into the grinding circuit to recover the gold. The work reported in this paper looks at whether the effect of density will prevent successful rejection of liberated U-bearing minerals in the –10µm size range of a plant re-cleaner feed, which is necessary to minimize penalty U accumulation in a copper concentrator. The study was carried out using a cyclone rig with spigot diameter of 0.25 inches in combination with batch flotation. It was found that the density effect is almost negligible at particle sizes below 10µm. Consequently, the liberated U-bearing particles finer than 10 µm were successfully removed in the overflow stream as rejects and hence U grade in the copper concentrate remarkably reduced, by 16 ppm. Based on the results, de-sliming of the re-cleaner feed was recommended for plant trial and implementation.

Jan 1, 2016

By K. Himbeault, D. Campbell, N. C. Garisto, D. A. Orava, A. Rosaasen

"The level of scientific knowledge about the effects of contaminants is increasing and changes in environmental monitoring are likely to allow for the assessment of environment effects particularly to the aquatic environment. This paper provides an overview of recent developments in this area which include the environmental effects monitoring program for pulp and paper operations, the assessment of the Aquatic Effects of Mining (AQUAMIN) program, the Aquatic Effects Technology Evaluation (AETE) program, and the review of the federal Metal Mining Liquid Effluent Regulations (MMLER). The paper also provides a look forward at the direction of environmental monitoring of mine projects in Canada. IntroductionEnvironmental monitoring programs provide a wide range of data to environmental management systems, regulatory authorities, and stakeholders. The data obtained are used to demonstrate that operations are in compliance with regulatory environmental protection requirements, and provide the scientific basis for assessing the effectiveness of environmental protection measures. Environmental monitoring requirements for mine projects are established based on the type of operation, site specific issues and concerns, and the requirements of regulators and mine proponents.The level of scientific knowledge regarding the potential effects of contaminants on the receiving environment is increasing, and in particular with regards to the receiving aquatic environment. Regulatory controls regarding the protection of fish, fish habitat, and fishery resources are being reviewed with regards to their adequacy, and the environmental effects monitoring program on the pulp and paper industry is expected to provide useful data relevant to those types of operations. These developments are of interest to mine proponents as it is presently expected that an environment effects monitoring program will be developed specifically for the metal mining industry under a regulated environmental effects monitoring program as part of the Fisheries Act. This paper reviews recent developments in this area, and provides a look forward on the future directions of environmental monitoring programs."

Jan 1, 2000

By Brian FitzPatrick, Michael J. Weaver

Everyone has a role in site safety, even consultants. This paper presents a summary of how a geotechnical and environmental consulting firm, with field staff on construction and subsurface explorations sites, engaged their staff and leveraged relationships with contractors to assess the construction related risks to which its staff members are exposed. These findings were then integrated into their technical training materials for both new staff and those needing a refresher, so that safety is discussed at the same time as the technical work and not treated as a separate topic. The paper outlines the process of identifying and evaluating the construction related risks that staff members face and presents examples of how the consultant can engage contractors in the process. By doing this, knowledge can be shared and there is a better mutual understanding of the risks associated with common construction and exploration related field tasks. The work resulted in an increase in staff engagement in safety, a better understanding of the true risks that staff face in the field, better relationships with contractors, and lower safety metrics. HISTORY At Haley & Aldrich, Inc., we renewed our safety journey in May 2012. Like many others, we had concerns over injuries our staff experienced in the three previous years, and a potentially significant utility strike we experienced while excavating a trench. In 2009, 2010 and 2011 we experienced an increase in recordable injuries, including two significant injuries, which caused our Experience Modification Rate (EMR) (see note below), Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), and Days Away-Restricted, and Transferred Rate (DART) to rise significantly. See Fig. 1 for details. This caused us to step back and review our approach to safety, and our “safety culture”. The rise in reportable incidents and injuries also corresponded to the beginning of a growth period for the company.

Jan 1, 2019

By J M TORLACH

Learning is an iterative process, and we might reasonably expect that after more than a century of mining during an era of sustained technological development, (following a millenium or two of unrelieved hard physical graft), that the more obvious physical hazards could by now be competently managed. It is perhaps a reflection on the perversity of human nature that we have not fully learned our lessons in this exacting environment, and that worse, we have still too often failed to profit by the experience of those lessons. The more obvious underlying factors which impact on this situation are examined briefly, as a prelude to consideration of some outstanding examples of recurrent problems experienced in recent years. Reasons for the continued existence of sub-standard practices are outlined, with a focus on the human element, and finally proposals for appropriate remedial strategies are summarised. This paper therefore seeks to examine and discuss some of our deficiences and to suggest some directions for the way ahead.

Jan 1, 1992

By Victor A. Phillips

A series of strips of a Ni-12.7 at. pct A1 alloy were Prepared containing cubical y'(NisAl) precipitates with edge lengths from 60 to 500A. A particle-free solution-tveated strip was included for cornparison. They weve cold-rolled 95 pct and the effects of particle size on the isochronal (1/2 hr) annealing behavior between 300° and 950°C studied (by hardness and light and electron microscopy). It ulas inferred that the particles deformed with the lnatvix becoming lamellae which remained coherent. Comparison with published data fov pure nickel showed that aluminum greatly re-tavded softening and recrystallization, but it made little difference whether or not particles were present. The presence of pakticles led to a heterogeneous distribution of precipitates after annealing at 700" to 750°C. Recovery was not detected. Recrystallization occurred by the growth of new grains into unrecrys-tallized material. In a previous study by the author,' the growth of Ll2-type ordered yl(Ni3Al) precipitates was followed in Ni-12.7 at. pct A1 alloy as a function of aging at 600" and 700°C. The particles were showo to be cubical in shape in all sizes from 50 to 3000A and remained coherent. This work was used as a guide in preparing the starting structures for the present study of the effect of these particles on the annealing behavior of heavily cold-rolled strip. Another question of present interest was whether dislocation and particle hardening were additive, since the structures before rolling ranged from solution-treated to peak-aged to overaged. Also, precipitation might occur on annealing after cold-rolling. Reference may be made to other papers2"5 for previous work in this relatively unexplored field and only some recent work will be mentioned her:. phillips2 studied the effect of deformable 0 to 590A-diam cobalt particles on a Cu-3.23 pct Co alloy rolled 95 pct and found that the particles, which rolled out into thin lamellae, impeded softening and recrystallization. Tanner and servi3 likewise studied the annealing of cold-swaged Cu-2 pct Co alloy containing 150A-diam particles and found impeding effects. Haessner et a1.,4 on the other hand, found that incoherent 2-p-diam non-deformable particles of B4C (0.04 vol pct) tended to increase the rate of recrystallization of copper rolled up to 95 pct reduction. They attributed this to the formation of new grains at the particle interfaces. Humphreys and artin' found that nondeformable silica particles in copper rolled to 30 pct reduction accelerated recrystallization if the particle spacing was large and retarded it if the spacing was smaller. Haessner et a1 4 also studied a rolled Ni-Cr-A1 alloy; however, the particles of y'(Ni3Al)-type precipitate were not put in before rolling, but separated during the isothermal annealing at 750°C. No previous work appears to have been carried out on the effect of y' (Ni3A1) particles on the annealing of Ni-A1 alloy. Hornbogen and ICreye7 redetermined the solubility c of aluminum in nickel as a function of temperature T and showed that it was given by c = 32.6 exp(-1940/RT). This relation gives aluminum solubilities of 15.1, 14.2, 12.0, and 10.7 at. pct at 1000°, 900°, 700°, and 600°C, respectively. The phase precipitated from the nickel-rich solid solution is fcc y1 (Ni3A1) which has a Cu3Au -type ordered structure8 and remains ordered up to 1000°C.B EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The alloy used was identical with that used before. Chemical analysis showed 6.27 wt pct (12.71 at. pct) Al, the principle impurities being 0.065 pct Fe, 0.022 pct Co, 0.020 pct Cu, and 0.004 pct C. Bar stock of 1 in. diam was cold-swaged to % in. diam, cold-rolled to 0.300-in.-thick strip, and annealed at 900°C in dry hydrogen. It was cold-rolled to 0.100-in. thickness and solution-treated for 1 hr at 1000°C while sealed in a quartz tube in argon, quenching in iced brine with the aid of a device to snap off the nose of the tube. Lineal analysis gave an average grain size of 0.055 mm. Pieces of strip were aged at 700°C in vacuo for 30 min, 51/4 hr, and 1 week to produce nominal average particle widths of 60, 150, and 500A, respectively, as known from the previous work.' The average diamond pyramid hardness was determined. The heat-treated strips were rolled from 0.100 to 0.005 in., a reduction of 95 pct, and the rolled strips stored at about -5°C. Small pieces were annealed within 1 week for 30 min at temperatures from 300° to 950° ±2°C in a horizontal vacuum furnace. Strips were withdrawn into a cooling zone, giving an estimated initial cooling rate from 950°C of about 50°C per sec. Average diamond pyramid hardnesses were determined on a lightly electropolished spot on the surface of each strip using 300-g load. Each point on the softening curves represents a separate annealed specimen. Sections containing the rolling direction were examined by optical metallography. Selected specimens were electrothinned to the center plane' and examined by transmission at 100 kv in a Siemens Elmiskop I electron microscope. It is well-known that changes in the structure tend to occur when a deformed strip is electrothinned below a thickness of a few hundred angstroms, although this is less serious with a material such as nickel which has a high melting point, and also is apt to be less serious when particles are present. Observations were nevertheless confined to thicker regions of the foils with estimated thicknesses over 1000A. No changes were observed due to beam exposure.

Jan 1, 1968

By Qidong Zhang, Yongsheng Song, Wenjuan Li, Guiying Zhou, Kun Song

"Molybdenum is a very important rare mineral resources, which exists largely in oxidized ores and sulphide ores in nature. About 99% of metallic molybdenum comes from molybdenite. The talcose molybdenum resources are abundant but the resources utilization is low, because the talc is naturally hydrophobic and the floatability of talc is similar with molybdenite, which lead to difficult separation by flotation. Talc is easy entry into concentrate in flotation which can cause the content of MgO overhigh, therefore the molybdenum concentrate grade can not meet the industrial requirements. Thus the utilization level of talcose molybdenum resources has been restricted greatly.The adsorption of water on talc and molybdenite surfaces and natural floatability of minerals were studied by density functional theory method. The results showed that molybdenite and talc were layered minerals which exhibited similar surface wettability and H2O molecule prefers to stay with water rather than the minerals surfaces. N2 is adsorbed on talc and molybdenite surfaces more easily than H2O. The interaction and flotation behavior were studied by SEM and flotation experiments. The reason why talc interferes with the flotation molybdenite has been revealed. The agglomeration between molybenite and talc was caused easily in neutral or acidity solution, and it was dispersing between molybenite and talc particles in alkaline solution. The flotation results showed that good floatability of talc was the key factor causing a low grade of concentrate in alkaline solution. Thus, it is the key factor to enlarge floatability difference between molybdenite and talc.INTRODUCTIONMolybdenum is a kind of important rare metal and strategic reserve resources (Zhitao Y et al, 2016a). Due to excellent characteristic, such as high melting point, good thermal property and et al, it’s widely used in metallurgy, machinery, chemical, aerospace, and many other areas. It has become an indispensable metal in modern industry. Molybdenum generally exist in the form of molybdenite which is a kind of mineral with excellent natural floatability. Talc is a kind of typical hydrous and layered magnesium silicate minerals (Beattie D et al,2006a), which is one of the most common gangue mineral of the platinum group metal ores and metal sulfide ores (Tao L et al,2011). Due to its good native floatability, talc is easy entry into the concentrate product with foam in the process of sulfide ore flotation (Kelebek S and Smith S, 2006b), which resulted in decreasing concentrate indexes. Not on that, the high-content MgO of concentrate will also produce a series of adverse impact to the subsequent smelting (Lotter N O et al, 2008). Therefore, it is difficult to separate talc from sulfide ore concentrate effectively."

Jan 1, 2018

By Mikko Loponen

Outotec has developed an operator training simulator (OTS) platformsuitable for various hydrometallurgical processes. The complete solution is run in the cloud, where virtual client instances can be managed on-demand. The aim is to build a generalizable model that produces coherent results even when operating outside of ideal parameters, allowing the operator to train in unsteady state conditions such as start-up and shutdown. Complex software products are commonly associated with significant development time and cost. Utilizing modular software architecture, only the control system and processmodel are tailored for theOTS,whereas modules such as user administration and cloud-based client machine spawning can be imported, shortening development time. A generic acidic pressure oxidation process (POX) operator training simulation consisting of feed preparation, autoclave, dual-stage flash evaporation and off-gas scrubbing is described. Process is simulated using Outotec HSC Sim 9 process simulator and controlled by Siemens Simatic PCS7 control system.

By Richard D. Hagni

The United States is dependent upon foreign sources for more than 93% of its bauxite and alumina supply. Domestic production of bauxite, which comes from Alabama, Georgia and Arkansas, is limited to those bauxite ores containing less than about l ½ % iron. Bauxites with higher iron contents are generally not utilized because they cause problems in bauxite calcining and especially because they produce undesirable brick discoloration and cracking. In order to improve beneficiation and expand the utilization of high-iron or ferruginous bauxites, a mineralogical and textural study has been conducted on selected samples from the Eufaula, Alabama, bauxite district. Reflected light microscopic, petrographic, and X-ray techniques have shown that a variety of iron minerals are present, including hematite, goethite, lepidocrosite, siderite, pyrite, marcasite, and ilmenite. Although the iron minerals may be locally concentrated into concretions and pisolites, most occur as very fine grains that are disseminated and show a variety of intergrowths. Mineralogical and textural observations indicate that the fine-grained iron mineral grains may be amenable to high gradient magnetic separation.

Jan 1, 1981

By Ivano Andreis, Georgios Kalamaras, Mario Liti, Sebastiano Pelizza, Filippo Avesani

"THE SS640 AGRIGENTO-CALTANISSETTA PROJECT The Caltanissetta tunnel is part of the works for the construction of the second 28km-long maxi section of the SS 640 motorway of Porto Empedocle, from km 44 to the junction of Imera in Sicilian hinterland. Amongst other major infrastructure works, the €740 million ANAS (Italian national roads and highway administration agency) project consists of four twin tube tunnels three of which are being excavated by conventional means. The longest tunnel, underpasses the Caltanissetta city and has a length of 3.9km under a maximum overburden of 120m. The JV consisting of CMC of Ravenna and TECNIS SpA won the design & built tender in 2010. Construction started in early spring 2012 following the approval of detailed design and later on the approval of design for construction. THE CALTANISSETTA TUNNEL The Design Phase Tender design and detailed design foresaw the construction of 13.4m excavation diameter tunnels that were to be enlarged in a second phase to create, every 600m, 50m-long tunnel sections for emergency parking. During the design for construction project phase the JV proposed to replace the 13.4m tunnel with a 15.08 excavation diameter that incorporated apart from the two 3.75m wide lanes a 3.25m wide continuous emergency lane. This significant tunnel section modification was associated with better road safety conditions, simpler and safer construction procedures, better statics for the tunnel section while in terms of overall cost the solutions were equivalent.Geologic context The tunnel is located in the middle of the geologically known Caltanissetta basin that is intersected by various tectonic structures. The geologic context for the tunnel scale, was defined in collaboration with the University of Catania in early project phases. For almost its entire length the tunnel is excavated in the Terravecchia formation that represents the lower part of the stratigraphic sequence that was formed in the Tortoniano period of Miocene. The quite complex geological model is also characterized by the presence of the so-called Trubi formation that consists of clay and marl clay. Almost 90% of the tunnel traverses formations that are quite similar in terms of excavation behavior. Exception to this are thrust zones and a calcareous stretch of the alignment. This last segment has a length of 200m and was identified since the very beginning as a tunneling challenge due to the combination of very poor geotechnical properties and an important water load."

Jan 1, 2016

By F K. Altuntov

The study presented in this paper is based on the Kiirunavaara underground mine located in the northern part of Sweden. The deposit is mined using the sublevel caving (SLC) mining method. This paper briefly reviews the alternative SLC layouts, as well as presents challenges for the application. In Kiirunavaara currently, the traditional SLC design is employed, however, continuous improvement of material transportation systems used in mines generates a need for investigation of the current and future production area layouts in sublevel caving mines. When identifying the potential benefits of the alternative production area layouts, the production targets and effects must be further investigated to understand the benefits and potential effects. In this study, several different layouts have been investigated and evaluated. The designs include different development configurations and orepass infrastructure moved further away from the orebody and still require further investigation.

Mar 29, 2023

By D Readett

The most critical variable in the successful establishment of the Murrin Murrin Heap Leach plant was the effective agglomeration of the Ni laterite ore. This paper describes the test work undertaken to establish the key agglomeration parameters including state of the art testing and analysis procedures. These parameters were then utilised to establish the key design and operational concepts for the world’s first commercial scale Ni laterite heap leach. Following the technical and economic success of the operation, the actual operational data is compared back to the original test work data.

Aug 8, 2011

By Colonel Oattis E. Parks

The quantity of coal recovered by diamond coring techniques is not sufficient in many instances to make meaningful coking and/or ash fouling tests. Quantities in excess of that obtained by conventional coring techniques, usually in amounts exceeding 500 pounds, has been designated bulk sampling. During the past three years, AMAX Coal Company has utilized five methods of bulk sampling. It was our desire to obtain a bulk sample that was diagnostic of the seam by the most expedient and economical method. From the beginning all of our efforts have been directed to methods which would extract the required coal from slim boreholes which provide quick and inexpensive access to the coal seam, regardless of depth, terrain and accessability. In our efforts and investigation several large diameter cores have been taken from thick coal seams at relatively shallow depths in easily drilled rocks. On the other hand, for deeper thin seams multiple large diameter coring is more expensive and time consuming. It is somewhat less expensive when multiple cores are taken from a single slim borehole utilizing deflection coring, although considerable skill is necessary.

Jan 1, 1973

By Bruno Pinheiro da Silva

Controlar a distribuição de carga do Alto Forno é fundamental para o controle de processo, e através de sua otimização, dentre as mais variadas configurações operacionais, busca-se lograr da estabilidade do processo e aproveitamento do gás no interior do reator. Para tal, utiliza-se um sistema de carregamento, sendo o mais usado na atualidade o do tipo Bell Less Top com calha rotativa. Durante o carregamento do forno as partículas passam pela calha rotativa, resultando em abrasão dos elementos de desgaste que por sua vez, altera a geometria da mesma, gerando alterações na trajetória das partículas carregadas e a mudança de trajetória pode perturbar a marcha do Alto Forno. Nesse contexto, a boa condição da calha passa a ser um fator essencial para a manutenção da estabilidade operacional. O presente trabalho, aplica o método dos elementos discretos (DEM) para caracterizar os efeitos do desgaste da calha na trajetória do material descarregado, podendo assim avaliar melhor os distúrbios na estabilidade do Alto Forno, e com isso a indicar o melhor momento para troca da calha.

Oct 30, 2017

The environment has emerged as a permanent component of Australia's socio-political context, intricately linked with personal and future security.The implication of this powerful new influence on the Australian Minerals and Energy Industry sector has been a plunging public image.

Jan 1, 1993

By F Schoenbrunn, T Laros

Deep paste thickeners have been proven capable of consistently producing medium to low slump material for disposal without the need for filters. However, proper design of the entire system is critical for a paste project to be successful. Some of the factors that must be carefully considered in design of a paste system include thickener sizing, tailings impoundment design, underflow pumping, and control system.

Jan 1, 1998

By J. R. Rodda

Stainless steels are widely used to handle concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4) solutions produced in the manufacturing process, The majority of corrosion rate data published for stainless steel in product acid conditions is typically complied in tables or in iso-corrosion diagrams (iso-corrosion rates plotted as a function of temperature and H2SO4 concentration), without any reported consideration as to the accuracy and relevance of the method used to obtain the data, Given the characteristic potential cycling associated with the active-passive corrosion behaviour exhibited by stainless steel in hot, concentrated H2SO4, weight loss is considered to be a more reliable method than electrochemical measurements to measure corrosion rates, Consequently, an effort is made herein to demonstrate the accuracy and relevance of weight loss to determine laboratory corrosion rates in product acid conditions.

Jan 1, 2010

By S. Combrink, N. Naude

Hydrocyclones are widely used in wet mineral classification applications and can be notoriously prone to wear. The methods currently used for quantifying hydrocyclone wear profiles are mostly twodimensional. In this paper it was attempted to quantify and monitor wear in three-dimensions, using a micro-CT scanner (Nikon XTH 225 ST). Hydrocyclone wear and, more specifically, spigot wear was investigated on a Multotec HC250 (Dc 250 mm, barrel diameter) hydrocyclone. The hydrocyclone is lined by a vulcanised natural rubber compound within a metal shell, with a thermosetting polyurethane spigot and vortex finder. Tests were conducted on the hydrocyclone in a pilot-scale recirculating test setup. The wear rate of the spigot was quantified by measuring the volume change within the spigot over 122 days in operation, using the micro-CT scanner. After 122 days in operation (recirculating feed materials) the wear in the hydrocyclone led to only a 13.67% loss of spigot volume. The relatively low wear rate could be related to the fact that material recirculation led to particle smoothing and a reduction in size, thereby decreasing the wear rate. This also shows the enormous influence that particle shape and size have on wear. The research was conducted with the support of Multotec, NECSA and the University of Pretoria. Keywords: Wear, hydrocyclone, micro-CT

Jan 1, 2020

By Messias dos Santos Machado, Renato B. Godoy, Roberta Lima, Andressa Silva, Francisco Valenzuela-Díaz, Rene R. Oliveira, Esperidiana Moura

This work aims to incorporate the Bof White Clay, from Boa Vista, Paraiba State, Brazil, as natural nanofiller in Ehylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) and obtain flexible films. Nanocomposite was obtained using a twin-screw extruder, and film formed using a blow extruder machine. The flexible film nanocomposite was characterized, by tensile tests, XRD, DSC and their properties were evaluated. The results showed a good interaction between the clay and the EVOH resulting in an increase of properties of films nanocomposites as compared to films neat polymer.

Jan 1, 2015

By Alberto Martín Ríos Carranza

"El presente texto señala la información técnica del proyecto de Santa Gloria. Dicho plan revisa las estimaciones de reservas, recursos y potencial exploratorio, información metalúrgica, infraestructura y otras generalidades. El proyecto se ubica en la provincia de Huarochirí en la región Lima, cuya infraestructura tiene permisos ambientales, certificado de operación minera (COM), uso de aguas, convenios para la utilización de energía eléctrica y buenas relaciones con las comunidades campesinas del entorno. Adicionalmente, cuenta con una planta de flotación para el tratamiento de mineral con una capacidad de 30 TM/día. La concentración de estructuras mineralizadas (vetas) está distribuida en tres áreas que se han denominado zonas Eleine, Tembladera y Santa Cruz. La mena de sulfuros tiene una recuperación alta en la planta de flotación (90.79% en plata) puesto que los sulfuros (tetraedrita y galenas argentíferas) no contienen minerales de manganeso."

Nov 1, 2016

By C. O. Aksoy, P. M. Ozfirat, M. K. Ozfirat, C. Tatar, C. Pamukcu

"Temporal and other factors contributing to the occurrence of occupational accidents at an underground coal mine in Turkey between 1992 and 2000 have been analyzed. The time period of the study spanned the transition from hand-worked mining methods (1992 to 1996) to hand-worked mining methods and mechanized mining methods (1997 to 2000).The mine selected for the study employed an average of 5,835 men per year on three separate eight-hour production shifts for 302 d/y (Sundays are not worked, and there are 11 holiday days per year). Production on an annual basis averaged 190,000 tons per year between 1992 and 1996, and 300,000 tons per year between 1997 and 2000.The purpose of the study was to determine which, if any, of the factors studied contributed to the occurrence of accidents so that the mine could take the necessary steps to reduce the risk to the workforce. Regression analysis was used to determine the strength of the relationship between each factor studied and the number of occupational accidents.The strongest relationships observed were between the age of the employee, the day of the week, and the total yearly labour."

Jan 1, 2006