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By F. R. Ploeger, J. H. Crocket

"IntroductionRocks in the Kirkland Lake district form part of the Timiskaming Group, a south-facing homoclinal sequence of wackes, conglomerate, trachytic flows and pyroclastic rocks and syenitic intrusive rocks. Hewitt (1963) indicates that the thickest section, about 5 km, of the Timiskaming Group rocks is attained in Lebel Township. Several writers (Thomson, 1948; Hewitt, 1963; Hyde, 1978; Jensen, 1978; and Downes, 1979) have observed that the Timiskaming Group unconformably overlies the Keewatin volcanics, particularly along the northern contact. Recent work by Downes (1979) in McGarry and McVittie townships to the east of Kirkland Lake has shown that much of what had formerly been classified as Timiskaming actually belongs to an older group of rocks, the Larder Lake Group (Jensen 1978).General GeologyA series of fluviatile, braided-stream sedimentary rocks (Hyde, 1978) form the oldest of the three major rock suites at Kirkland Lake. Conglomerates constitute a large proportion of these sedimentary rocks and typically contain a large percentage of a variety of locally derived alkalic rock clasts as well as the distinctive red jasper iron-formation pebbles (Fig. 1a). The associated wacke units can be massive to finely bedded and are interbedded with the conglomerate. They also contain a large alkalic tuffaceous component.Interbedded with these sedimentary rocks are alkalic extrusive rocks, including tuffs, agglomerates, breccias and flows, which represent episodes of fissure and explosive crater eruption (Cooke and Moorhouse, 1969). The tuffs, although dominantly alkalic in composition, are commonly reworked and contain sedimentary features such as graded bedding, scouring and crossbedding (Fig. 1 b). The trachytic flows are massive to porphyritic and outcrop mainly east of Kirkland Lake in the adjoining townships. Altered leucitic porphyritic flows, locally referred to as red and green spotted trachytes, commonly occur."

Jan 1, 1982

"THE PACIFIC CONTINENTAL MARGIN OF CANADA is de-fined, for the purposes of this paper, as the area sea-ward from the present mainland coast of British Columbia to the foot of the continental slope. It thus coincides with A. Sutherland Brown's Insular Tectonic Belt. The region is limited to the north and south by the political boundary with the U.S.A., the location of which is still in dispute.The region can be subdivided into: (1) an interior trough comprising the Queen Char-lotte, Comox and Nanaimo basins; (2) a medial uplift comprising Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands; and (3) a marginal shelf which is extremely narrow (Jess than 5 km) west of the Queen Charlotte Islands, widens to 160 km in Queen Charlotte Sound and is about 35 km wide west of Vancouver Island, where it is underlain by the Tofino sedimentary basin, with its• extension, the Juan de Fuca Basin, at the southern end.The medial uplift consists of a highly disturbed anticlinorium of mainly Mesozoic rocks, with a core of Palaeozoic. The rocks include thick sequences of eugeosynclinal volcanics and sediments. There is strati-graphical evidence of repeated interruption in sedi-mentation. By late Jurassic, the main eugeosynclinal phase was over and a successor basin was initiated in the interior' trough. This became filled, during Cre-taceous and Tertiary time, with sediments ranging in environment from bathyal turbidites to terrestrial conglomerates and coals. West of the medial uplift, another successor basin developed in early Tertiary times and became filled with mainly deep-water marine sediments. A third effusive sequence marks the base of the Tertiary on Graham Island and over most of the Hecate Strait region and Tofino Basin."

Jan 1, 1970

By R. Schuhmann, J. Th. Overbeek, P. L. De Bruyn

W. E. Ewers (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research organization, Melbourne, Australia)— Any attempt to elucidate further the meaning of the contact angle, particularly if it deals with the magnitudes of those mysterious quantities rsa and YRL, is certain to receive attention from those interested in the fundamentals of flotation. It is imperative, therefore, that attention should be drawn to a serious defect in the treatment by de Bruyn, Overbeek, and Schuhmann. Their Eq. 5 dy = — ld/u — Th2odiH2n states correctly the relationship between the change in surface free energy dy, the surface excesses Tx and Th2o of the components x and H2O and the changes du, and dph2o in the chemical potentials of these components. This equation applies for constant pressure and con- stant temperature and for the interface of the solid in contact with the solution of X. The relation remains valid when 1.1 is defined so that TH2O becomes zero and the equation becomes dr = — r:dur [17] From this equation de Bruyn et al. correctly concluded that increased adsorption of the collector at the liquid solid interface would reduce the interfacial energy ysl. Their second conclusion, however, that an increase in the contact angle, corresponding to a greater decrease in rsa than in rsL can be attributed to greater adsorption of X at the solid-air interface than at the solid-liquid interface is quite unjustified. The portion of the solid surface from which the collector solution has been displaced by air must be considered in terms of the equilibria between the gaseous phase and the surface. If the pressure and temperature

Jan 1, 1955

By O. K. Riegger, L. H. Van Vlack

The median angle of relatively few two-dimensional observations provides a satisfactory value for dihedral angle determinations. Those data that contain bimodal or non-equilibriated dihedral angle distributions are readily detected. THIS paper is concerned with a statistical simplification for determining dihedral angles in solids. Microstructures are partially controlled by relative energies of interphase boundaries and grain boundaries. smith1 has shown rather conclusively that such boundaries may be equilibrated to give a vectorial balance at grain and phase edges. Thus if an accurate measurement is made of the dihedral angle associated with grain and phase edges, an accurate calculation of the relative energies may also be made. The accurate measurement is difficult because the dihedral angle involves two planes in three dimensions, and only a two-dimensional cut through the dihedral angle is usually observed. Such a two-dimensional cut is statistically random provided there is no preselection or orientation. Harker and parker2 have shown that the mode of the frequency distribution of observed angles is within 5 deg of the true angle if the true dihedral angle is 120 deg. smith1 had calculations made to show that the same generalization could apply to dihedral angles of 30, 60, 90, and 150 deg. This procedure of requiring the determination of the statistical mode is time consuming because experience has shown that more than 200 angle observations are necessary before the mode is clearly indicated. It is possible to determine the dihedral angle with equal accuracy with only 25 angle observations if the median angle is used in place of the mode angle. Use is made of Harker and parker's2 basic equation tan =2 sin x cos

Jan 1, 1961

By M. C. Flemings, R. Mehrabian

In a recent series of papers,1-3 it was shown that a variety of apparently different types of macrosegrega-tion result from the same basic mechanism, the inter-dendritic flow of solute rich liquid to feed solidification and thermal contractions. The important parameter governing sign and extent of segregation was shown to be (v.?T)/ where v is interdendritic flow velocity, ?T is temperature gradient, and E is rate of temperature change. It was proposed in one of the previous papers that the "negative cone of segregation" often found at the base of large ingots results from the large value of (v. VT)/E expected to pertain there. The reason why this parameter is expected to be large in that location is the high flow velocity to be expected there, as discussed earlier,' and as shown schematically in Fig. 1. In this note, two experiments are summarized which are intended as laboratory simulations of the inter-dendritic flow behavior sketched in Fig. 1 and, therefore, of the "negative cone of segregation". Experimental procedures employed are as described in the the earlier work.3 Alloy cast was nominally Al-4.5 pct Cu. Fig. 2 shows one of these ingots, a "prism" ingot, 6 cm high by 12 cm wide by 10 cm long, unidirectionally solidified from a water cooled base. In this ingot, in-terdendritic flow velocity increases near the upper portion of the ingot because of the gradually decreasing ingot cross-section. Calculations were presented earlier of the negative segregation to be expected in this type of ingot,' and results presented in Figs. 2 and 3 agree closely with those of earlier calculations. A more direct (although less easily calculable) simulation of the "negative cone of segregation" is the

Jan 1, 1970

By Richard R. Radel, Jack Barry

Contract required excavating 2,000 If of 14' horseshoe tunnel in rock, a 95' deep work shaft on shore, and a 50' deep intake shaft located in the middle of the Niagara River just above Niagara Falls. Large quantities of H2S were encountered in the range of 20 PPM with ventilation. Peak levels of 40 PPM were recorded. The original designed ventilation system required only a volume of 10,000 CFM to meet OSHA requirements. The volume of air was increased to 50,000 CFM to dilute the H2S to al- low workmen to work and comply with OSHA H2S action levels. The second phase of the tunnel consisted of placing 72" ID X 20 foot long concrete reinforced pipe in the tunnel. When the tunnel was holed through and both shafts were open, a substantial amount of work was required to take place in the shafts which eliminated the possibility of placing a bulkhead to secure proper ventilation. The ventilation team designed a jet system airlock. The design of this system was to bring fresh air down the work shaft in two duct systems; one 30" diameter and one 24" diameter. Following the excellent work of Jan Wolski (7th Mine Ventilation Symposium chapter 58) our design incorporated nozzles located approximately 100' in by the work shaft. The velocity of the 24" diameter duct was 6,365 FPMD2.2 MPH. The velocity of the 30" diameter duct was 6,117 FPMl69.5 MPH. Both systems were on blow and being that air expands at 3112 degrees per side this high velocity of air expanded and created an air bulk head through which men and the large sections of concrete pipe could be passed without any delay or additional cost to the project.

Jan 1, 1997

By W. E. Mitchell

ELECTROLYTIC, production of cadmium at the Great Falls plant started in the first part of the year 1925. Prior to that time, an experi¬mental unit had been in operation for a few months during the year . 1922. At present the plant is the largest producer of cadmium, not only in the United States but in the world. Electrolytic cadmium is characterized by its very low content of impurities. The main impurities, which are lead, copper, zinc, and iron, do not aggregate more than 0.05 per cent., leaving a cadmium content better than 99.95 per cent. The consumption of cadmium has increased rapidly since the war, with the growing use in the plating industry. Cadmium plating has come into prominence because of its connection with the automobile and radio industries. As a protective coating, a deposit of, cadmium is superior to zinc. Cadmium is also used extensively in alloys. Important among these is the alloy with copper used in telephone and trolley wire. In proportion of 0.5 to 1.2 per cent., cadmium adds materially to the strength and wearing qualities. Practically all commercial zinc concentrates contain a small amount of cadmium. In the electrolytic zinc process, the cadmium that is dissolved in the regular leaching operation is removed from solution with metallic zinc, generally added in the form of zinc dust. This precipitate also contains the copper taken into solution and the excess of zinc dust, which is required in order to insure a complete removal of all impurities. The precipitate is treated by a separate process to recover the copper, cadmium and excess zinc. In order to make the metals more soluble and to render insoluble such impurities as iron, arsenic and antimony, the precipitate is roasted. The roasting is carried out in gas-fired McDougall furnaces, with a roasting temperature of about 700° C.

Jan 1, 1930

By Ayako Iwakoshi

Highly concentrated pastes of gold nanoparticles were successfully produced by use of a special kind of protective polymer and a mild reductant. Solid part of the pastes consists of up to 85wt% of gold nanoparticles, 10~30 nm in diameter, and residual protective polymer. This component can be diluted by any kinds of solvent at arbitrary rates. Electronics, optics, catalysts, colorants and surface metal coatings are possible application fields. 1. Introduction Noble metal nanoparticles are of interest in a variety of fields ? such as colorants, metal coatings, electronics(1), optics(2), and chemical catalysis(3). Especially, in the color field, the gold nanoparticle has been known as an aesthetic red colorant for stained glass and fine glassware, such as Venetian glass. The mechanism of coloring is attributed to surface plasmon absorption of gold nanoparticles(4,5). The gold nanoparticle in stained glass shows very clear red color, which is very durable for hundreds years. On the other hand, the red color of organic pigment in paint films often fades away within several years. We intended to reproduce the elegant and stable coloring of stained glass in paint films. In order to color a very thin, 20~50?m, paint film like stained glass, production of highly concentrated dispersion of gold nanoparticle is necessary. To achieve this, there were two issues to be overcome. One is how to prevent the coagulation of gold nanoparticles in highly concentrated solution. So far, several methods to prepare gold nanoparticles(6,7) were reported. But only a few methods succeeded to stabilize the gold nanoparticle dispersion at higher concentration than ppm order. The other is controlling of the particle size, this is because the color of gold nanoparticles is very sensitive to the particle size. Only when the particle size lies around 10 nm, the suspension exhibits red color like stained glass.

Oct 1, 2003

By Robert G. Ditchburn

Dating seafloor mineralization at hydrothermal centres of submarine arc volcanoes is important for understanding deep-seated volcanic events that can produce deposits rich in base and precious metals. The activity ratios, 228Th/228Ra, 228Ra/226Ra (Bq.Bq-1) and 226Ra/Ba values (Bq.g-1) are used for dating barite- rich seafloor massive sulphide (SMS) in the age ranges 0.3 ? 12 years, 3 ? 35 years and 500 ? 15,000 years, respectively. Thus, the time elapsed to amass an economic deposit and, ultimately, its capacity for sustainable extraction, can be estimated. 226Ra/Ba and 228Ra/226Ra values have been measured in relatively young chimneys that were collected, 1998 to 2006, from hydrothermal sites at Brothers and Clark volcanoes (Kermadec arc) and East Diamante volcano (Mariana arc) to check these initial ratios, essential for calculating ages for older mineralization at the same sites, were not varying significantly. We found that the 226Ra/Ba value for fresh SMS mineralization at the Brothers NW caldera and East Diamante hydrothermal sites have been reasonably stable for 6 years and 2 years, respectively. At both sites, the 228Ra/226Ra value for fresh SMS has been stable for 5 years. This was established from young chimneys where the measured 228Ra/226Ra value could be corrected for radioactive decay using the age derived via the 228Th/228Ra method. However, long-term stability of the initial 226Ra/Ba and 228Ra/226Ra values has yet to be proven. These isotopes of Ra are used as a proxy for better understanding of the transfer of Ba from deep magmas to the seafloor, via the circulating fluids of the hydrothermal system.

Jan 1, 2011

By Robert L. Davidoff, Rodney D. Rosenkranz

In order to determine copper resource data and production costs for major market economy mines and deposits, the Bureau of Mines has performed detailed engineering and economic analyses on 271 of the world's most significant copper deposits. At the demonstrated resource level, copper potentially recoverable from these deposits is estimated to be 325 million metric tons, 180 million tons of which would be from Pacific Rim countries. Chile has the largest known copper resources of any country and accounts for nearly 45 percent of the copper avail- able from Pacific Rim countries. At $1.00 per pound, in January 1981 dollars, an estimated 80 million metric tons of copper are potentially economically recoverable from Pacific Rim deposits. At this same price, analyses indicate that these deposits could economically produce about 2 million metric tons of copper per year. Sensitivity analyses reveal that if operating costs were to decrease 25 percent, with copper at a price of $1.00 per pound, total copper economically recoverable from Pacific Rim countries could increase by about 10 percent; a 25 percent increase in operating costs could lower economically recoverable copper by 50 percent. Analyses also indicate that byproduct prices are important. If byproduct revenues increased 25 percent, at a copper price of $1.00 per pound, an additional 2 million metric tons of copper could be recovered; if byproduct revenues decrease 25 percent, about 5 million metric tons less of copper metal would be available. Since the January 1981 date of this study, inflation and decreases in copper and byproduct prices have greatly affected the profitability of the world copper industry. Many producing mines have curtailed or suspended production, and development of many non- producing deposits has been postponed.

Jan 1, 1982

By Gherman Pavlovich Nikonov

Results of preliminary research on the use of small diameter water jets at high pressure for cutting rocks has demonstrated the possibility of effective cutting of anthracite. Detailed research has, therefore, been conducted at the Skotchinsky Institute of Mining to study the dynamics and structure of the small water jets and the mechanism by which they cut coal. One of the objects of this research was to obtain data for the design of a machine for cutting rock, based on the same principles as that for cutting coal. The productivity of water jet mining machines depends on the hydro- dynamic parameters of the jet. Therefore, the research on small diameter water jets was directed, initially to a study of the nature of the variation of these parameters, and to obtain a profile of dynamic pressure distribution over the section of the jet. As has been confirmed previously, the required jet pressure (to cut coal) lies in the range of 100 to 500 atmospheres. These pressures were utilized for the research. The diameter of the nozzle was changed as ~follows; 0.97; 1.24; 1.5; 2.17; 2.87; and 3.57 mm. Graphs showing dynamic pressures for each nozzle diameter and varied axial dynamic pressure were obtained over distances ranging from 2 to 70 cm from the nozzle. One of the most important hydrodynamic parameters of a jet, closely related to the dynamics of jet disturbance in air, is the magnitude of the axial dynhmic pressure. A study of the variation in this pressure with increasing distance from the nozzle led to the separation of the jet into three specific parts, which differ from each other not only in the nature of the change in dynamic pressure, but also in structural properties.

Jan 1, 1971

By Frank Robertson Van Horn

In June, 1911, the writer spent a few days in studying the economic geology of the vicinity of Park City. During this rather hurried visit a number of specimens of ore were collected, which have since been examind. The results of these investigations show that bournonite (PbCu-SbSa) is present in the ores in greater or less quantity. This fact has never before been reported, as far as can be learned. The failure to recognize this mineral is due to its similarity to tetrahedrite, with which it has probably been confused during a long period of years. Jamesonite (Pb2sb2s6) has been reported from the region in a rather doubtful manner, but the writer has seen it in notable amounts from several mines, and can offer the first analysis of this mineral from the district. Calamine (HzZn2SiO5) was found at one mine and has never been ecognized and reported from the district. Geogbaphy and Geology Park City, Utah, is located at an elevation of about 7,000 ft. above sea level on the eastern slope of the Wasatch mountains. It is situated approximately 25 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. ' The geology and ore deposits have been described in detail by Bout well and Woolsey.' The mines visited are situated south-southeast from the town. The Silver King Coalition mine is located in Woodside gulch about 1 mile southeast of Park City, at an altitude of about 8,100 ft. The other mines visited were the Daly West and Quincy, which are in Empire canyon about 2 miles sontheast of the town, at elevations of 8,300 to 8,500 ft. respectively. The Daly Judge tunnel goes into the mountain from Empire canyon about 1 mile south of the city, at an altitude of 7,700ft.

Jan 1, 1915

By John Park

THE mining .district is located in the northeasterly part of Nevada, between the Jarbidge River on the west and the East Fork of the Jarbidge on the east. The northern boundary of the district is but a few miles south of the Idaho state line-the gold-bearing area extending from this point south, for 5 or 6 miles. The Jarbidge Mountains, in which the ore deposits occur, range from 5000 to 11,000 ft. in elevation, the most important mines being situated about 7000 ft. or higher. The town of Jarbidge lies along the Jarbidge River and is reached by stage from Rogerson, Ida., the nearest railroad point. During the summer months, the camp may be entered from the south by way of Deeth, Nev., but no regular transportation facilities are available over this route. HISTORY The mineral deposits were not discovered until 1909, when D. A. Bourne, panning along the river bank, found gold in the gravel at the mouth of a small stream flowing into the Jarbidge. He prospected in the vicinity of this stream, later known as Bourne Gulch, and shortly after located the North Star claims. During the following spring and summer (1910), the camp of Jarbidge grew from nothing to a town of 2000 people and the hills surrounding it were practically all taken up by mining claims. Most of the work done during. the first year or two consisted of trenching and open-cut prospecting. Tunneling was started on a number of claims and many veins were uncovered. Mills were built and operated on a few properties, notably the Pavlak and the North Star. These ran only a few months, however, when they were closed down because of extraction and financial difficulties.

Jan 1, 1925

By Caner Zanbak

Deformational behavior of a rock mass can be modeled with a constitutive law based on theories of elasticity, and plastic and viscous deformation. For most rock types, such constitutive models may be used with confidence because there is no geochemical interaction between the rock-forming minerals and water. However, if volume changes in the rock due to geochemical phase transitions are predicted, then these volume changes must be converted into mechanical parameters and must be included into the constitutive laws. In this paper, geochemical phase transitions between anhydrite (CaS04) and gypsum (CaS04-2H20) will be brought to the attention of researchers in rock mechanics. Hydration of anhydrite to gypsum may yield volume increases up to 62.6 percent and dehydration of gypsum to anhydrite may cause volume decreases up to 38.5 percent. If one were to convert the volume increases in hydrating anhydrite into strains and calculates the required stresses to restrict the expansions, the magnitude of stresses will be found at GPa levels. Such stresses on swelling anhydrite layers cannot be provided by geologic media. Therefore, the host rocks will deform under these high stresses. On the other hand, under increasing stresses, geochemical transition of anhydrite to gypsum may stop after some hydration of anhydrite, and anhydrite and gypsum systems may become stable. Changes in temperature and solution compositions in the anhydritel gypsum system also control the stability of the geochemical system, and therefore, the extent of volume changes. A similar conceptual model can be drawn for volume decreases due to dehydration of gypsum to anhydrite. In this case, stress reduction on the gypsum layer may cause extensive fracturing and changes in the state of stress in the host rock mass.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. Bai, C. Zang, W. Yuan, L. Zhuang

"This study evaluates the efficiency of using mechanochemical reduction to assist the extraction of zinc from zinc ferrites by alkaline leaching. The transition of zinc ferrite into a metastable state after mechanochemical reduction with metallic iron contributes to the ready dissolution of zinc from the activated zinc ferrites in alkaline solution. Zinc ferrites were mechanochemically reduced under conditions of Fe:ZnFe2O4 mole ratio of 2:1, using 5 mm diameter stainless steel balls as the activation medium at a mass ratio of balls to raw materials of 25:1. Subsequent leaching in 6 mol/L NaOH solution at 90°C resulted in more than 70% Zn extraction. These results may be used to further develop a hydrometallurgical process for recovering zinc from zinc ferrites in alkaline solution.IntroductionZinc is an important nonferrous metal required for various applications in batteries, solder, dielectric materials, and piezoelectric materials. High-grade, easily concentrated ores are becoming scarcer: to meet world demands for zinc, it is necessary to develop economical and environmentally safe metallurgical technologies that use secondary materials such as leach residues of roasted zinc concentrates and electric arc furnace dusts. The zinc in the majority of these wastes occurs in the form of zinc ferrite (franklinite, ZnFe2O4), which is very stable and insoluble in most acidic and alkaline solutions (Langova and Matysek, 2009; Youcai and Stanforth, 2000).Several pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes (Jankovi et al., 2014; Langova and Matysek, 2010; Morcali et al., 2012; Shawabkeh, 2010) have been proposed for the treatment of zinc ferrites. Pyrometallurgical methods are costly owing to high energy consumption and their emissions of toxic gases are considered an environmental problem; hydrometallurgical methods are preferred for process economy and environmental reasons (Copur et al., 2004)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Milan Yekich, Emanuele Cauda, Justin Patts, Cody Wolfe

A worker’s personal exposure to respirable dust in occupational environments has traditionally been monitored using established methodologies which entail the collection of an 8-hour representative sample that is sent away for laboratory analysis. While these methods are very accurate, they only provide information on the average exposure during a specific time period, generally a worker’s shift. The availability of relatively inexpensive aerosol sensors can allow researchers and practitioners to generate real-time data with unprecedented spatial and temporal granularity. Low-cost dust monitors (LCDM) were developed and marketed for air pollution monitoring and are mostly being used to help communities understand their local and even hyper-local air quality. Most of these integrated sensing packages cost less than $300 per unit, in contrast to wearable or area dust monitors specifically built for mining applications which have been around for decades but still average around $5,000 each. At the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), we are leveraging the power of high-volume data collection from networks of LCDM to establish baseline respirable hazard levels and to monitor for changes on a seasonal basis as well as following any application of control technologies. We have seen the effective use and advantages of monitoring live data before, during, and after events like shift changes, operational changes, ventilation upgrades, adverse weather events, and machine maintenance. However, many factors have prevented a systematic adoption of LCDMs for exposure monitoring: concern for their analytical performance, the complexity of use, and lack of understanding of their value are some factors. This contribution outlines a one-year case study at a mine in Wisconsin USA, covering the installation, maintenance, data visualizations, and collaboration between NIOSH researchers and the industrial hygiene professionals at the mine.

Feb 1, 2024

By S. B. Bhagwat

The United States has abundant coal resources that could last at least another century. and probably longer at present consumption rates. Geographically, the coal resources are distributed over the entire nation including Alaska, although there are no coal deposits in the highly populated areas on the two coasts. This allows free access to the coal, but makes transportation more expensive. Not all coals can be utilized equally because they differ vastly in quality. The sulfur content of coals, considered as the most detrimental acid rain-causing element, varies from as low as 0.3 percent in some areas of the western U.S. to 5 percent or more in parts of the Midwest. The chlorine content, which causes corrosion of plant hardware, also varies regionally. The 1990 amendments of the Clean Air Act of 1963 (CAA) require that emissions of sulfur be restricted and rolled back in two stages by the year 2000. There have been a number of reports expressing concern about the future of the industry in the states where high sulfur coal is produced. The remedies devised by the federal government and many coal-producing states in the past to "se-cure" the future of the regional coal industries have focused on the physical task of removing sulfur rather than the economic challenge of doing so at a cost that will enable high-sulfur coals to survive and compete. The past remedies, generally, were not specific enough to account for the characteristics of regional coal deposits and did not look at the coal market as an integrated national and international entity. The State of Illinois has, in recent years, taken a more comprehensive approach to the solution of the problem.

Jan 1, 1992

By W. Burger

For the development of deep, hard rock, mines fast access to the orebody is critical. In some cases the mineralized area is more than 1,500 m (5,000 ft) below surface. Excavation of shafts or declines is typically on the critical path of the project schedule. Saving time on those activities can significantly increase the net present value of the mining project. Mechanical excavation methods are a step-change in excavation performance and labor safety compared to drill-and-blast operations. In hard rock conditions, roadheaders cannot be used effectively, so disc cutting is the first choice. For excavation of declines, tunnel boring machines (TBM) can be used in many cases. These provide, in certain rock conditions, considerably higher production rates com-pared to drill-and-blast excavation. Herrenknecht AG has developed a vertical shaft sinking machine (VSM) that is able to excavate shallow shafts in soil and medium soft rock. The ground is excavated by a roadheader boom. The muck is removed by a slurry system or a pneumatic system in combination with hoisting of skips. These machines have been applied successfully on shafts down to 100 m (300 ft). A pre-sink for a deep mine shaft has been excavated by this technology. For deep, hard rock shafts, a new shaft boring system has been developed by Herrenknecht AG in collaboration with Rio Tinto. Based on proven technologies, the system uses a unique arrangement of existing proven technologies. The system integrates excavation, mucking, primary rock support, installation of the final lining and shaft infrastructure. This new system improves the health and safety of shaft construction. Detailed performance estimates indicate significantly higher shaft construction rates are possible compared to conventional shaft sinking methods.

Jun 1, 2010

By Valery V. Kostjuk, Victor. N. Bredikhin, Alexander I. Shevelev, Evgeny A. Kazban

"The investigations to improve the process data have been done in order to stabilize the functioning of drying units. The scheme of turnings preparation with centrifuging and subsequent thermal degreasing (tandem) is proposed. To improve the efficiency of the process the scheme of reclamation of the centrifuge fugate is developed with production of oil and service circulating water. Empirical dependences of the turnings temperature influence on the lubricant-coolants content in centrifuging are gained. When the turnings temperature is increased to 80 C the residual content of LC is decreased by 1.5%. The investigations aimed to improve the preparation of non-ferrous turnings have allowed to decrease the melting loss by 15-20%; to stabilize the process of thermal drying of turnings; to decrease sharply (by 60- 70%) the volume of LC combustion products; to reclaim the centrifuge fugate and produce oil and servicecirculating water.Non-ferrous turning and primarily aluminum and copper alloys turning is a stable source of secondary raw materials for metallurgical works.Direct by lubricant-coolants (LC) of various types: synthetic, semi synthetic, oily and emulsions.On the base of investigations concerning various methods of the non-ferrous turning processing the favorable one has been selected taking in to consideration the economy, ecology and quality of the finished product (alloy). Two-stage process is developed. The main idea of the process is the elimination of the lubricant-coolants (LC) to the limit specified in advance. The applied method is centrifuging with subsequent final elimination of LC by thermal method.Constant value of LC content at the inlet of the thermal unit excludes practically the oxidation of metal and as a consequence increases the output by 10 –15 % in metallurgical processing."

Jan 1, 2003

By Jerry Z. Lu

Belt conveyor design involves the evaluation of belt tensions, drive selection, pulley configuration and other technical issues. The conveyor belt tensions vary with conveyor layout, drive pulley configuration, belt selection, and idler selection. The decisions for the belt conveyor construction always take all technical, commercial and maintenance issues into consideration. A good conveyor design shall provide required operational features and at the same time be cost effective. The common issues for an engineer to face during belt conveyor design include: (1) Conveyor drive selection ? drive with fluid couplings or variable frequency drives; (2) Drive system configurations - single pulley large drives or dual pulley smaller drives, if intermediate tripper booster drives shall be applied, what power ratio should be adopted for a multi-drive conveyor; (3) Gear reducers ? shaft mount drives, right angle gear reducers or parallel gear reducers; (4) Drive pulley lagging - ceramic lagging or rubber lagging; If ceramic lagging, what type should be used. (5) Conveyor speed variation ? If conveyors run at variable speeds, faster speed/lower percentage loading or slower speed/higher percentage loading. In many cases the decision maker find themselves in a dilemma ? technical benefits vs. financial benefits, capital cost vs. operational cost, and capital and operational cost vs. maintenance effort. Although many conveyor design topics above have been discussed in numerous technical papers and design reference books, management executives and inexperienced engineers may be confused and feel lost. The consultation of people around them may lead to different opinions since experiences tend to vary, making the decision making process complicated. The purpose of this paper is to simplify these complicated issues and provide useful guidelines for belt conveyor design. This paper focuses more on providing simple and practical answers and solutions instead of discussing each topic academically and theoretically in depth.

Nov 1, 2011