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W. R. Ingalls, since 1905 editor of the Engineering and Mining Journal, retires from that position with the issue of Mar. 22, to open offices in New York City as a consulting engineer. The severing of this connection .will not be complete, however, as Mr. Ingalls will continue as consulting editor, and will handle the metal-market quotations in the Journal which are now the accepted authority for the government settlements of ore importations and the basis of practically all the ore settlements between miners and smelters throughout' the country. No greater compliment can be paid to Mr. Ingalls than this, unless it is the recognized fact that these quotations have been made what they are by his ability and his integrity, which secured for him channels of information vital to the accurate estimating of the market, but denied to anyone else. The Journal, under the. strong hand of Mr. Ingalls, has always been the acme of ethics in technical journalism, and the best wish that can he given to his successor, not yet announced, is that the Journal may long continue to live up to the standards not originated, but so consistently maintained and strengthened by Mr. Ingalls. His spelter statistics are accepted as authoritative wherever the English language is read and zinc ore is mined. He has found time during his very arduous years on the Journal to he the author of several works on the resources and metallurgy of zinc, lead, cadmium, etc.; for 5 years was the editor of Mineral Industry; and was consulting engineer for the Bureau of Mines and joint author of their voluminous and authoritative work on mine safety rules. His retirement from the Journal is a distinct loss to every one of the Journal's readers individually and to the profession as a whole. Universal good wishes go with Mr. Ingalls to his new field, which has for a long time been offering him professional attractions that his confining editorial work has not permitted him to accept.

Jan 4, 1919

By J. B. Mackintosh

In a recent paper read before the Institute on this subject, Mr. G. C. Stone advances the theory that the precipitate obtained in Williams's volumetric process,* by treating the boiling nitric acid solution of a manganese salt with potassic chlorate., is not pure MnO2, but approximates more closely to the composition 10Mn02+Mn0. As the value of the process and the accuracy of our results mould depend on whether this was the fact or not, it has seemed to me, and to my associates, Messrs. Beebe and Colly, that it would be of importance to ascertain the composition of this precipitate, and to that end the following series of experiments has been undertaken. These experiments have all been based on the considerations: 1. That potassic permanganate has an oxidizing power equivalent to five atoms of oxygen for every two of manganese : K2Mn2O8 = K2O.2MnO.O5. 2. That the same amount of manganese in the state of binoxide has an oxidizing power equivalent to two atoms of oxygen : 2MnO2 = 2MnO.O2. If, then, we take a solution of permanganate of unknown strength, and reduce it to binoxide, the oxidizing power of the binoxide formed will be equal to that of two-fifths the quantity of the permanganate solution originally taken. While, if the precipitate obtained should not be binoxide, but an indefinite or definite mixture of bin- and mon- oxides, then, from its equivalent oxidizing power, we can calculate its composition. The analyses were conducted in the following manner. The amount of permanganate taken was decomposed with hydrochloric acid, and concentrated to expel the excess of water. Sufficient excess of nitric acid was now added, and the solution was boiled until all the hydrochloric acid was destroyed. The manganese was then precipitated by potassic chlorate; and, after standing some time to cool—a pre-

Jan 1, 1884

By A. K. Sinha

The annual production and productivity of underground coal mines in recent years declined from 334 Mt (368 million st) and 14.5 t (16 st) per man per shift in 1969 to approximately 254 Mt (280 million st) and less than 8 t (9 st) per man per shift in 1977. Productivity is still hovering at about 7.25 t (8 st) per man per shift. According to US Bureau of Mines, the estimated US coal reserve is about 396 Gt (437 billion st), 68.65% of which is obtainable by underground mining methods. Approximately 153 Gt (169 billion st), or about 85.2% of the high Btu premium coking coal of the eastern US, would need to be extracted by underground mining methods. It is thus apparent that under- ground mining will continue to play a major role in total US coal production, which is expected to rapidly increase to about 1.1 Gt (1.2 billion st) by 1985, with about 606 Mt (668 million st) being contributed by underground mines. Production Potential of Continuous Mining The production potential of a continuous mining section depends primarily on the producing ability of the miner, transporting ability of the face haulage, and the matching of the two systems. The producing ability of the continuous miner depends on its actual cutting ability and the time available for cutting coal. The performance of 10 continuous miners operating in coal seams of various thicknesses were monitored in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, using continuous electrical power analyzers and time studies. The recordings on current and power strip charts yielded an accurate analysis of the cutting, trimming, and idle times of the machines on a full shift basis. Continuous miners of various models and sizes from 112-298 kW (150-400 hp) were monitored. Based on actual cutting time, the average cutting ability of the machines, as shown in [Fig. 1], ranged from

Jan 1, 1983

By Joseph F. Shirley

Introduction Inorganic depressants are chemicals added to the froth flotation process to maintain or produce hydrophylic surfaces on one or more minerals so they will remain in the pulp rather than attach to the air bubbles. Whether a depressant will be effective in depressing a given mineral depends on how it is used and the environment in which it is used. Some depressants must be added and conditioned into the pulp before the collector is added. Other depressants can be added in the presence of previously added collectors and effectively depress the desired minerals. Often the concentration of depressant relative to the collector concentration is critical to making an economic separation. It should be noted that some depressants will only work when specific collectors have been used. Some reagents such as sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide essentially act as depressants by altering the previously added collectors so that they are no longer effective. Some depressants such as sodium ferrocyanide are only effective in a very limited pH range and an essentially collector free environment. Major Depressants CaO Milk of Lime is by far the most used depressant both in tonnage and dollar value. Although it is most commonly listed as a pH modifier, it is also an important depressant for pyrite in copper and copper molybdenite flotation plants. Although a simple pH adjustment will often depress pyrite, there are times when grinding with fresh milk of lime is required to obtain optimum depression. Lime is also a molybdenite and gold depressant. NaSH Sodium hydrosulfide is by far the most commonly used reagent to depress copper and iron sulfide minerals in by-product molybdenite flotation plants. NaSH also depresses gold, silver sulfides and silver chloride. ZnSO4 Zinc sulfate is commonly used to depress sphalerite in lead-zinc and copper-lead- zinc flotation plants. It has also been used to effectively depress talc in by-product molybdenite circuits at a pH of 6.5.

Jan 1, 1986

By Earl A. Trager

The broad picture of world petroleum production at the present time is one of an excessive supply. In any consideration of corrective measures to be applied in the future, it will be necessary to include all the producing areas of the entire world. To illustrate, United States production during 1931 was 48 million barrels1 less than 1930, whereas world production exclusive of the United States increased, owing principally to increases in Russia, Rumania and Persia. Domestic Peoduction Let us first consider the domestic production situation. Due to the fact that United States production was maintained below current demand, about 40 million barrels of oil were withdrawn from storage during 1931. Consumption increased about 1.5 per cent over 1930, which is less than the recent annual rate of increase of 8 to 11 per cent. If the machinery to prevent waste in the petroleum industry operative for more than a year will continue during the coming year and drilling is held to the 1931 level, there will be a decided improvement in the domestic situation by the close of 1932. This will be due in large measure to the drastic reduction in exploratory work and drilling which has been in effect for more than a year. Looking ahead for two or more years, probably there will be a shortage of domestic production in relation to domestic demand, unless there are discovered several large pools comparable to Oklahoma City or East Texas. Were the United States isolated, our problems in so far as petroleum production is concerned might be considered well along the road to recovery. To maintain this perspective will require the cooperation of foreign producers in the future, or protection of United Statcs markets from foreign invasion. Let us review briefly the present situation in the United States. East Texas has been the most important factor during 1931. The large initial production of individual wells and the rapid rate of drilling

Jan 1, 1932

By C. Tsamantaki

Water-bentonite suspensions exhibit a yield stress which is defined as the minimum applied stress for flow. Considerable debate exists about the yield stress being a material property, hence different measuring methods should give similar answers, but several investigators have demonstrated that it is an engineering reality. Yield stress is normally estimated indirectly from the rheogram obtained with a viscometer following an extrapolation to zero shear rate (the dynamic yield stress), but the technique may be prone to errors because of slip flow. Direct measurements, not prone to such errors, rely on an independent assessment of the yield stress, normally carried out with the vane method (the static yield stress). In this paper results are presented and compared regarding the yield stress of 14 different water-bentonite suspensions measured using both the direct and the indirect methods. In order to obtain a wide range of yield stress values, two different types and two concentrations of bentonite at various pH were tested. Rheological data were obtained using a rotational speed viscometer and a yield stress vane measuring device. Measured vane yield stress values ranged from 5 Pa to 83 Pa. Rheological data collected with the rotating viscometer were fitted using various conventional techniques (interpolation, linear and non-linear regression analysis) as well as using a golden section yield stress search methodology based on Herschel-Bulkley model, developed in house. The vane instrument measures directly the yield stress of the suspensions and requires no further data handling. A comparison of the measured values of the yield stress with the direct and the indirect method is then made for the water-bentonite samples. Not very large differences are observed among different techniques and the variations are discussed. Similar data from literature are also analyzed and the comparison shows that differences on the various estimation methods are much larger than the differences observed in this study.

Jan 1, 2006

By Kirlk Yeager

"Ammonium nitrate (AN) is commonly mixed with a wide variety of additives to produce specialty formulations. Two additives commonly utilized are sodium nitrate (SN) and sodium nitrite (SNi). Application of the nitrite is primarily limited to gassing of emulsions. The nitrate, however, is incorporated in a wide variety of formulations. The effect of both these materials on the thermal stability of AN was examined. Experiments initially utilized lab-scale testing methods (sub-milligram sample size), such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), with scale-up to cook-off analyses (16 g) eventually applied. Labscale testing indicated that the presence of SN and SNi (both at 5 wt%) produced no harmful effects on the thermal stability of AN. The cook-off results did not agree with those from the lab-scale analyses, with both SN and SNi creating tremendous thermal destabilization of AN. These effects were seen at additive levels as low as 0.1 wt%. When SNi was employed as the additive, cook-offs became violent enough to create explosions in the testing apparatus. Although SN did not create as spectacular a destabilization, it did lower cook-off temperatures to approximately the same level as SNi. The dangerous situation created by SN andSNi seemed to be limited to cook-offs conducted in sealed vessels. If the SN/AN or SNi/AN formulations were allowed to cook-off in vented vessels, the thermal destabilization of AN did not occur. These results seemed to indicate that even “trace” amounts of what might ordinarily be viewed as benign additives could create significant destabilization of AN-based explosives under proper circumstances. Conditions created by blocked pumps, or deep boreholes could well overlap those produced in sealed cook-off vessels. In addition to showing the hazards potentially created by “benign” additives, the study also stressed that experiments designed to evaluate thermal hazards must include duplication of field variables to the fullest extent possible. "

Jan 1, 1999

The following additional studies are recommended: 1. Future development of the magnetic sludge process should involve optimization of the process variables; these include stirring rate, sludge heating time, aeration rate, method of preliminary sludge dewatering, and the effects of magnetic separation for final sludge processing. In addition, the matter of amenability of coal mine waters to treatment should be considered more thoroughly by means of a more comprehensive literature review as well as actual tests on mine drainage samples. 2. The technique of sludge freezing should be explored further. Emphasis should be given to conservation of energy in the process, and the filtration characteristics of the resulting sludges should be evaluated. 3. Further studies should be conducted on the feasibility of the CO2-addition approach to mine drainage sludge densification. The filtration characteristics of product sludges should be evaluated, and the possibility of recovering and recycling the residual alkalinity of the sludge, either directly as CaCO3 or as CaO plus CO2 after calcination, should also be explored further. 4. Efforts should be made to develop cost data for the conceptual processes involving magnetic sludge formation, sludge freezing, and C02 pretreatment, with the purpose of selecting at least one of these processes for further testing at a field site. 5. The use of inexpensive waste materials (e.g. fly ash, "red dog," slag) as sludge additives, possibly in conjunction with coagulant aids, should be considered further. Results of the present studies have indicated that such materials, employed in relatively large amounts, increase the density and enhance the filterability of sludges from lime neutralization of coal mine drainage. The use of pulverized blast furnace slag in this regard appears particularly promising, and studies should be made to ascertain its availability, relative cost, residual alkalinity, and behavior as an additive in conventional mine drainage treatment processes involving lime neutralization and aeration.

Jan 1, 1971

By E. A. Stephenson

In spite of tremendous handicaps notable advances in production engineering have been achieved during 1932. The technique of deep well drilling has continued to progress, notably in California and at Big Lake, Texas. In the latter field a method has been devised by which two grades of oil in contact with each other are produced without intermingling. In rig design many improvements have been made whose objective is to facilitate deep drilling with reduced power losses and increased life of the equipment. Flush joint casing and drill pipe have been improved further, careful tests indicating that the drilling time can be reduced by from 5 to 20 per cent where flush-joint pipe is used. Slow-speed pumping has come into wider use, with further increases in over-all efficiencies. A number of improved well pumps also have been developed and are being tested. One of the most important of these is a positive displacement pump of the rotary type, directly connected to an electric motor placed in the bottom of the hole, and adaptable to various sizes of tubing and casing. In some localities the trend is towards the replacement of electric motors and large-cylinder engines by multiple-cylinder gas engines. Experiments have been conducted and critical analyses made of flow conditions in wells equipped with various styles of tubing which give promise that tubing may be designed to fit individual well conditions. In those wells producing at less than maximum capacity, the gas-oil ratio has been shown to depend on the rate rather than on the method of production, or the design of equipment. Important factors in the design of screened pipe have been carefully analyzed and made the basis of a method for determining the required mesh. Remarkable progress has been made in the use of subsurface pressure data. In East Texas particularly, use of such data is providing a means for the control and equalization of water encroachment and is also pointing the way to a sound means of allocating to individual tracts an

Jan 1, 1933

By W. C. Weslow

AN extended program devoted to the development of a matrix for holding diamonds of a size and kind not heretofore generally used is being carried on by the Carboloy Company, and this paper describes the part of the development that affects mining and its allied industries. Laboratory and field work so far has indicated the following: 1. Tungsten carbide and cobalt form the most desirable known matrix material for the holding of diamonds for drilling work. 2. Industrial bort diamonds in sizes and of a class not generally heretofore acceptable and therefore less expensive can be successfully held in this cemented carbide matrix. 3. In exploratory drilling, the combination of bort diamonds, impregnated throughout a matrix of tungsten carbide and cobalt, when fabricated onto drilling crowns, is an indicated economic substitute for drilling crowns in which the diamonds are set by hand, mechanically or by casting. 4. This impregnated type of drilling crown or bit has definite possibilites of revolutionizing the drilling of blast holes, particularly in the harder formations. This will be brought about by the development of high-speed light-weight rotary equipment using an impregnated diamond bit to replace the percussion drill now in general use. (The development of this rotary equipment is well past the laboratory stage at this time.) 5. That the use of a rotary bit is a preventive measure in the fight against silicosis. The development of this product was started by G. F. Taylor at the Research Laboratories of the General Electric Co. It was early recognized that it had possibilities in the drilling field and the present product is the result of considerable experimental work with other powdered metals as well as with tungsten carbide and cobalt. In the study of the potential application to the mining field, it was learned that carbon diamonds originally were given a high rating of performance but that the trend had been toward borts in selected sizes

Jan 1, 1940

By D. O. Miller

The effective staffing of personnel in a new concentrator facility is a key factor in the success of the operation. By selectively recruiting quality individuals, a company is in a strong position to build a positive work ethic which will become an integral part of it's culture. And culture, which is a set of standards that all employees work to uphold, is that intangible as- set that often determines whether or not a company will survive during difficult economic times. Recruiting and placement of personnel in a concentrator facility requires an emphasis on planning. Management must carefully analyze the following elements when designing a hiring plan: 1. Number of positions 2. Hiring schedule (timetable) 3. Critical positions 4. Lead-time for trainee posit ions 5. Characteristics of the ideal workforce This presentation will focus on a proven system that is efficient (and yet simple) for achieving a new concentrator facility's manpower requirements. IDENTIFYING THE STAFFING NEEDS As previously stated, the key to staffing is planning. Management will find that a basic manpower chart will provide the hiring schedule to meet deadlines. In fact, this system begins with a manpower chart (Figure 1). The chart basically works in reverse of the hiring requirements: the last scheduled hire is the first job on the list. This approach ensures that the company will not find itself compressed against the facility start-up date. A cardinal rule in recruiting a workforce is to allow sufficient time to orient and train employees to the procedures and culture of the system. Problems in selection of personnel begin when the hiring program is short-circuited for timing reasons. The quality of employee selected invariably suffers accordingly. The second section is the key to the success of the manpower program. This is the latest date by which a formal recruiting effort must begin in order for the hire date to be met. Leadtimes are usually as follows: 1. 90 days for company transfer positions 2. 60 days for experienced new hire positions 3. 30 days for trainee positions

Jan 1, 1986

By Arthur C. Simmons

Oil production and activity in northern and central Pennsylvania was slightly less in 1939 than in the previous year, but owing to higher average prices 1939 was undoubtedly a better business year. The last quarter showed markedly increased activities throughout all of the Pennsylvania fields. Production, Stocks and Price Storage of Pennsylvania crude oil at pipe lines and refineries totaled 5,413,000 bbl. on Dec. 31, 1938, and declined during the year 1,124,000 bbl. to a total of 4,319,000 bbl. at the end of 1939. The stocks of crude at the end of the year represent the lowest point reached in Pennsylvania-grade crude storage in recent years. Stocks increased slightly during April, May and June, but decreased during all other months of 1939. The Bradford field production within the state of Pennsylvania averaged 35,340 bbl. per day throughout 1939, which represents a decrease of 1419 bbl. a day from the 1938 average. The production in central and southern Pennsylvania increased 1176 bbl. per day, averaging 12,159 bbl. throughout 1939. Table 1 includes annual production for the part of Bradford field situated within the state of Pennsylvania, for central and southern Pennsylvania, and for the entire state of Pennsylvania. A definite segregation of production between the Bradford field and central and southern Pennsylvania is slightly ambiguous because a portion of the oil from the newly discovered Music Mountain pool is included statistically in each area. In all probability the entire increase and some small addition to the production from southern Pennsylvania can be attributed to oil produced from the Music Mountain pool. Within the Bradford field, six price changes occurred throughout the year. At the beginning of 1939 the price of Bradford crude oil was $1.80 per barrel, whereas by the end of the year it had risen to $2.50. The weighted average price for Bradford crude during 1939 was $2.059 per barrel.

Jan 1, 1940

By H. R. Page, A. E. Jr Lee

A. E. LEE, JR. (author)—In addition to the paper we should like to make a few remarks. First, the seriousness of bending of the clay retort cannot be overemphasized. Not only did bending limit the length of the vessel, but it permitted corrosive fluid slags to concentrate in the belly of the retort and thus increased the possibility of boring. Bending also practically prohibited the use of cleanout machines and increased the danger of excessive fume losses by allowing furnace gases to escape around the top of the retort mouth. It will be noted that the Blackwell pottery practice places considerable emphasis on careful drying of retorts. Perhaps it is another smelter superstition, but traditionally the aging of retorts beyond a reasonable drying period has been considered important to long life. We are unable to give a good explanation of why aging should improve retorts. During the past fall in an attempt to prove a theory that the combined water in the clay decreased during aging, about 50 samples of wet retort collars were placed in a dry room when it was closed. Loss of weight, combined water and free moisture were measured each week over the 100 day drying period. The affinity of the dried retort for moisture makes difficult the accurate measurement of free water; however, there was a clearly defined free moisture change from about 12.5 pct when freshly made to about 2 pet at the end of 18 days, then a gradual loss to about 0.25 pet at 70 days and an apparent equilibrium near this figure through the 100th day. There was no appreciable change in the combined water. The change in weight of the average sample was, however, rather unusual, there being consistently a loss of weight throughout the entire 100 days. From the 63rd day on this leveled off to about 0.03 pet per week. These were small samples and certainly should have dried

Jan 1, 1950

Lafayette Mining Limited, a listed Australian company, is developing a polymetallic Project on the island of Rapu Rapu, located to the east of southern Luzon in the Philippines. The Rapu Rapu Project is based on the Ungay deposit, which has proven and probable reserves of 6.0 million tonnes of 2.5 g/t Au, 28 g/t Ag, 1.2 per cent Cu and 2.1 per cent Zn. The Project will produce copper and zinc concentrates from a sulphide flotation plant as well as dore from a CIL gold plant. Average annual metal production over the projected six-year mine life is 9800 tonnes of copper, 14 000 tonnes of zinc, 50 000 ounces of gold and 590 000 ounces of silver. Despite a rich mineral endowment and long mining history, there have not been any significant new mine developments in the Philippines since the early-1990s. The investment climate has been affected by legal challenges to the 1995 mining code, civil unrest in parts of the country, the impeachment of the previous President and community concerns about the industryÆs environmental performance. As a consequence, the Rapu Rapu Project is viewed as a test case û within both the country and the international mining industry û on whether minerals investment in the Philippines is an acceptable business proposition from a risk perspective. Lafayette has faced formidable challenges in managing the development risks of the Project. The major risk areas of the Project for which the company developed strategies include: regulatory, environmental and approvals issues, technical evaluation, project development, social and community issues, land acquisition, and financial and marketing issues. This paper describes the risk management strategies successfully pursued by the company, and which have the Project on track to commence construction in 2003. Dealing with each of the areas in turn, Lafayette sought to develop strategies which either effectively neutralised, minimised or otherwise addressed the key risks most likely to be experienced.

Jan 1, 2003

By Paul D. Dupree

Introduction Trapper mine is a dip-line strip coal mine, located about 10 km (6 miles) southwest of Craig, CO. The mine provides the Craig Generating Station, operated by Colorado-Ute, with about 2 Mt (2.3 million st) of coal annually. The Trapper mine is situated on a hillside that climbs in elevation from 2 to 2.5 km (6500 to 7400 ft) at average grade of 15%. The coal seams dip at about 16% down-grade and they outcrop near the top of the hillside. They exceed maximum stripping depth in 1 to 1.7 km (3500 to 5500 ft) of pit length. Stripping in the three existing pits is performed with three Page 752 23 m3 (30 cu yd) walking draglines. Two of the pits are currently being cast blasted. Until the active cut, the Derringer pit was cast blasted only where the lower mined seam exceeded stripping capabilities and the pit was a single seam operation. Now, a 9-m (30-ft) interburden bench has been incorporated into the stripping plan. This bench protects the first seam of coal from shear when the overburden is cast blasted. The cast blasted section of the 1.6 km (53,000 ft) long pit has been increased from the 457 m (1500 ft) casted previ¬ously to 1 km (3500 ft). High speed films show the coal losses due to shear of the blast are minimal. The pit width in Derringer pit is 61 m (200 ft). This is necessary for efficient spoil side stripping of a relatively thin interburden in the two-seam section of the pit. The Enfield pit is entirely cast blasted. The single seam pit is 46 m (150 ft) wide, 1.1 km (3600 ft) long, and varies from 15 and 46 m (50 and 150 ft) in overburden depth. The overburden strata at the mine consists of medium-hard layers of sandstone, shale, and

Jan 1, 1987

By Frederick Crabtree

WHEN Professor Stock asked for a paper on the above subject, it was too late to prepare by June 1, or near that time, one that would involve any appreciable amount of experimental work or original research; but the suggestion was made that a review of the literature bearing on the subject might be submitted in good time, and that later this could be supplemented by any experimental data obtained during the summer, if experiments were carried out. In accordance with this suggestion, there are submitted the following notes on references found in the literature of recent years bearing on sulfur in gas. It is to be, understood that, ill general, these notes express the opinions of the authors whose papers are abstracted, not necessarily the opinions of the abstractors. Very little published information was found bearing directly on producer-gas sulfur, so this has been supplemented, in certain phases of the subject, by references to illuminating gas. Methods of analysis and processes for the elimination of sulfur from the gas are, without much doubt, very closely related in these two products. As in illuminating gas, sulfur is found in producer gas mainly as hydrogen sulfide, mixed with a much smaller and variable quantity of carbon bisulfide.1 The presence of minute quantities of other organic-sulfur compounds has been intimated, but no definite statement is made concerning these. The amount of sulfur present in producer gas is variable and depends on several conditions. The primary factor is the quantity of sulfur in the fuel, but the form in which the sulfur exists, the temperature of the producer, the air-steam ratio, and the efficiency of the scrubbing process are all determining factors. When the coal used contains less than 0.5 per cent. of sulfur, the sulfur in the gas will not exceed the quantity found in the average illuminating gas.2 Sulfur in producer gas may safely

Jan 9, 1919

By L. A. Morley, W. T. Parry

Engineering design problems encountered by mining engineers often depend on the properties of natural granular materials such as soil, poorly consolidated sediment, fault gouge, and hydrothermally produced clay. The physical properties of such granular materials frequently are determined by the properties of silicate clays. In most mining applications, the clays are in contact with water. Swelling of clay due to water infiltration can interfere with underground support and haulage systems. Water-saturated clay on fault, fracture, and bedding planes causes slope failures in open pit mines, roof falls and heaving of weak underclays in coal mines. Water may be removed and cementing agents may be produced in clays by electrical methods. When an electrical potential gradient is applied to a charged capillary by two electrodes, water moves toward the negative electrode.1 This electrokinetic phenomena is known as electroosmosis and has been used to successfully dewater clay minerals which lack strength because of water. A consolidation effect occurs when the flow of water is accompanied by a decrease in water content. Electrochemical changes in the clay result in cementing and irreversible hardening. Theory A mathematical basis of electroosmotic phenomena is presented by Helmholtz.3 Smoluchowski5 modifies Helmholtz’ model and presents Eq. 1 to describe fluid flow velocity due to electroosmosis. For this formula, the zeta potential can be measured experimentally. The Helmholtz-Smoluchowski model is reasonably valid for clay aggregates with large pores saturated with fresh water or dilute electrolyte solutions.° An assumption used for Eq. 1 (equations are given Table 1; terms are defined in Table 2) is that the thickness of the electrical double layer surrounding the clay particles is small compared with the pore radii. Because this is generally not the case, Schmid7 presents Eq. 2. The volume charge density in the pore may be approximated from cation exchange capacity and porosity measurements. Casagrande8 offers a semi-empirical relationship (Eq. 3) for volume rate of electroosmotic flow and finds that k, is relatively constant for most clays with an average

Jan 1, 1972

By R. Karl Zipf

Multiple seam mining interactions caused by full extraction mining, whether due to undermining or overmining, frequently involve tensile failure of the affected mine roof. The adverse ground control conditions may prevent mining for both safety and economic reasons. Prior researchers have identified the geometric, geologic and mining factors controlling multiple seam mining interactions. This numerical study examines the mechanics of these interactions using a modeling procedure that 1) incorporates the essential constitutive behavior of the rock such as strain- softening of the intact rock and shear and tensile failure along bedding planes and 2) captures the geologic variability of the rock especially the layering of weak and strong rocks and weak bedding planes. Specifically, the numerical study considered the effect of vertical stress, interburden thickness, and the immediate roof quality of the affected seam in both undermining and overmining situations. The models show that for overburden-to-interburden thickness (OBAB) ratios of less than 5, interactions do not occur, and that for OBAB more than 50, extreme interaction is a certainty. In between, the possibility of an interaction was found to depend on gob width-to-interburden thickness ratio, site specific geology and horizontal stress to rock strength ratio in addition to the OBIIB ratio. The models also showed that horizontal stress was profoundly altered well above or below a full extraction area and that these changes are likely to influence the success or failure of multiple seam mining. The role of horizontal stress in multiple seam mining interactions has received little attention in prior investigations. Four factors control the mechanics of multiple seam mining interactions: 1. vertical stress concentration 2. horizontal stress concentration 3. stress re-direction 4. bedding plane slip bands A combination of vertical and horizontal stress increase and high stress gradients in the vicinity of full extraction areas re-orients principal stresses into a very unfavorable direction. This seemingly small stress re-orientation has a profound adverse effect on bedded rock.

Jan 1, 2005

By L. G. Carpenter, D. E. Garrett

Probably the largest single tungsten deposit in the U. S. is one that has yet to produce any tungsten; it is not even listed in tables showing U. S. reserves. This deposit is at Searles Lake, Calif., where the brine contains about 70 ppm WO,. Small though the concentration is, the amount of brine in the lake is so great that it is estimated at 170 million lb of WO3 (8.5 million units), equaling the total of all other known reserves in the U. S. This dry lake is located in the basin formed by the Argus and Slate ranges in the northeastern corner of the Mojave Desert (Fig. 1). It consists of a massive salt body some 35 sq miles in extent, varying in thickness from 0 to 120 ft and containing more than 3 billion tons of salt. A central section of about 8 sq miles is exposed salt; the remaining area is overlain by mud. Except for the exposed sodium chloride (10 to 15 ft thick) the body consists of a very complex and heterogenous mixture of soluble crystals, containing at least eight major phases. It is only about 53 pct solid, the voids being occupied by a dense brine which is the raw material for two chemical companies operating in the valley. The deposit is believed to be made up of salts present in the runoff waters from the last two ice stages. Searles Lakes was the third in a chain of five lakes that received waters from the Owens Valley drainage of the Sierra Nevada Mts. After leaving Owens Lake the waters could flood in succession into the Indian Wells, Searles, Panamint, and Death valleys (Fig. 2). During the first two ice stages of the Pleistocene Epoch most of the waters eventually arrived at Death Valley; consequently the lower 3300 ft of Searles Valley contain only mud

Jan 1, 1960

By Gale F. Hoffnagle

INTRODUCTION On November 15, 1990, President Bush signed the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. These Amendments cover many aspects of air pollution control. The provisions which seek to control emissions of "air toxics" may, however, be the most far-reaching and will potentially have the greatest effect on American industry. The Administration has estimated that by the year 2005 industry will be spending $6.7 billion per year on air toxics control. Meanwhile, the Business Round Table has estimated that the price will be far higher, up to $62 billion per year, depending on how EPA and the States implement the program. BASIC REQUIREMENTS Any "major" source of emissions of 189 air toxics will be required to install "MACT." The translation of this statement requires some definitions: •MAJOR SOURCE - A facility (a contiguous property under single ownership and control) which has actual emissions of 10 tons or more per year of any single one of the air toxics or 25 tons per year of any combination of air toxics. •AIR TOXICS - Congress has provided a list of the 189 chemicals on this list. Those that may be important to the mining industry are shown on Table 1. This list can be changed by petition or by EPA. •MACT - Maximum Achievable Control Technology is to be defined by EPA for each industrial source category. EPA says there are about 400 categories. The Act defines MACT as: "the average emission limit achieved by the best performing 12% of the existing sources ... for categories with 30 sources or more" or, "the average emission limitation achieved by the best performing 5 sources in the category." TABLE 1 SELECTED AIR TOXICS FROM CLEAN AIR ACT LIST IMPORTANT TO MINING INDUSTRY Antimony Compounds Arsenic compounds (inorganic including arsenic)' Beryllium Compounds' Cadmium Compounds Chromium Compounds Colbalt Compounds Cyanide Compounds (dissociation compounds) Lead Compounds' Manganese Compounds Mercury Compounds' Fine Mineral Fibers Nickel Compounds Radionuclides (including radon)1 Selenium Compounds 1Previously listed under NESHAP 2The Administration may not list elemental lead as a hazardous air pollutant.

Jan 1, 1991