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By Margaret R. Lickes

Mercury was produced originally at the Idaho Almaden mine from 1939 to 1942. When the ;.nine was shut down, more than 100,000 tons of ore, containing from 2.5 to 3 pounds of mercury per ton, was known to be adjacent to old workings but had been considered too low grade for commercial operation. Later, detailed, systematic exploration by Rare Metals Corporation of America increased and delimited enough minable reserves for further operation to be foreseen for several years. The average grade of the ore is estimated at slightly more than 3.5 pounds of mercury per ton. Open-pit mining and installation of the largest rotary kiln in the United States furnacing mercury ore have made possible profitable exploitation of these reserves (fig. 1). The bulk of the exploration was by percussion drilling, although some diamond drilling was done to check the results. When enough reserves were indicated to assure a successful operation, stripping and plant construction were started simultaneously. Figure 2 is a general view of the plant. The ore bodies, although irregular in size, shape, and grade and covered by essentially barren cap rock, are amenable to low-cost, trackless, open-pit mining. Development consists of stripping the overburden and removing, barren cap rock. Ore is being mined at approximately [5],000 tons per month and treated in a 175-ton-per-day furnacing plant.

Jan 1, 1957

By Zhiwei Wang, Chunsheng Qiao

"Aiming at the problems of the existing calculation methods for the support pressures of shallow tunnels in layered jointed rock strata, by using OAT (orthogonal array testing strategy) and DEM (distinct element method), 12 influencing factors including the thickness of the weathered overburden, and the states of the rock joints were considered. Then, the classification of the loosening zone was analysized. On this basis, by using the DEA (data envelopment analysis) theory, quantitative analysis on the influencing factors was conducted. By analyzing the influence of the key factors, a prediction formula of the boundary of the ringent trumpet-shaped loosening zone was established. According to principles of stress transformation, the formula of support pressures of the loosening zone which could considering the key factors were deduced. Finally, a practical case was introduced and studied to verify the proposed method.INTRODUCTIONIn recent years, various urban subway tunnels are increasingly carried out through jointed rock strata in many cities. Rock masses are discontinuous mediums with fissures, fractures, joints, bedding planes, and faults. The frequency of joints, their orientation with respect to the engineering structures, and the roughness of the joint have a significant importance from the stability point of view. However, there is a lack of understanding about the influence of the joints on the stability of tunnels. Therefore, how to measure the degree of the joints’ influence is a problem that needs to be solved.For the calculation of the support pressures, until now, many research results were focused on soil ground (Bierbäumer 1913; Terzaghi, 1943; Peck, 1969; Sabatini et al., 1999). In terms of site tests and model indoor tests, by measuring strut loads and calculating earth pressure based on strut spacing, the results proposed by Peck (1969) and Tschebotarioff (1973) have been widely used in practice for designing excavation support systems under sand (drained) and clay (undrained) soil conditions. Note that, it is unclear whether these findings could be extended to rock strata. For numerical simulations, how to simulate the states of the rock joints is a key problem that needs to be solved."

Jan 1, 2015

By T. J. Close

The Silver Peak Range North Wilderness Study Area was deleted from the list of US Bureau of Land Management lands in Nevada to be considered for wilderness designation. This decision was based in part on the US Bureau of Mines mineral investigation of the wilderness study area which found indications of precious- and base-metal-resources. The study area lies between the Silver Peak and Dyer mining districts of west-central Nevada. The Bureau examined 13 mineralized sites, most of which were previously unknown and unclaimed. These sites are along two zones that cross the study area from the Silver Peak mining district to the Dyer mining district. The two zones transect a volcanic center of fractured and altered rocks that contain epithermal veins of quartz and calcite with gold, silver, and base-metals. At the surface, these veins are poorly defined. Exposures of the more than forty veins examined were as thick as 17 ft and as long as 1000 ft. Samples from these veins contained significant amounts of precious- and base-metals-as much as 0.02 oz per ton gold, 2.1 oz per ton silver, 1.0% copper, 2.6% lead and 0.4 % zinc. No vein large enough or of high enough grade to be classified a mineral resource was disclosed by the sample data. However, most do have indications of precious- and base-metal-resources at depth. Subsurface exploration of some of the veins is recommended.

Jan 1, 1995

By J Walshe, G Duclaux, L A. Fisher, R Hough, J S. Cleverley, M F. Gazley

Characterisation of hydrothermal gold systems across multiple scales is increasingly important for our understanding of ore deposit genesis and for targeting new mineralisation. Published work on multiscale mineral system exploration focuses either on applying a single technique across scales or on incorporating a series of techniques across a limited scale range. Typically, these studiesÆ spatial scales vary from crustal to deposit-scale and have successfully linked the distribution and shape of major orebodies to fault systems or varying lithostratigraphy. But, is this scale small enough to answer fundamental questions about the relative timing, processes interactions and mechanisms involved in the formation of ore deposits? We illustrate the potential of a deposit to microscale study, using the Plutonic Gold Mine in Western Australia as an example, to better understand hydrothermal gold systems. Using an integrated approach combining lithological and alteration logs, various geochemical data set, meso- to microscale structural and textural observations and spatial data assimilation, we have revisited the fundamental processes involved in the formation of this significant gold deposit.CITATION:Duclaux, G, Hough, R, Gazley, M F, Fisher, L A, Walshe, J and Cleverley, J S, 2013. A multiscale approach to hydrothermal gold systems - unravelling mineralisation processes at the Plutonic Gold Mine, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 95-98 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

By BION J. ARNOLD

WE can, I think, rightfully claim, irrespective of our faults, that engineers must, in order to last as engineers, possess the qualifications of integrity, stead- fastness of purpose, ability to think straight, and to apply these qualities consistently and continually in their everyday work. All engineers know this, most of them conform, and in order to drive it home I might, if 'clothed with proper authority, preach to you at length, but I shall not take the chance. So I only want to make a suggestion or two to the young engineers. Have an ideal and work toward it. You will have your disappointments and your temptations but keep your record clean, and if anyone says you are foolish or ugly, or homely, or that you need a guardian, take the criticism with a smile, for he may be able to prove his contention; but if he attacks your integrity, strike at once and fight hard, for he has assailed not only your character but your principal asset as an engineer.

Jan 1, 1929

By K. Huessener

This paper attempts a survey of the principles involved in the combustion of blast-furnace gas in boilers and stoves. I do not expect to be able to give much information which is actually new, since the laws and methods of calculation pertaining to this problem are contained in a number of handbooks; but, so far as I am aware, they have nowhere been treated exclusively with reference to this one problem of gas economy. The road which I follow is less that of strictly scientific research than that of the practical engineer, faced by operation problems which require a quick solution by easily accessible means without a prolonged search in scientific handbooks. For this purpose I give a number of tables and diagrams, as well as the results of many years1 practical working experience as combustion engineer, which I trust will prove useful to my readers. HlSTORICAL Considering the tremendous efforts made during the last 15 years to increase the efficiency of all kinds of power plants, it is highly surprising that until a comparatively very recent period, progress in the economical combustion of blast-furnace gas has been so slow, The explanation generally put forth, that fuel has been so cheap that it was hardly worth while to bother about this economy, will not hold good, for the greatest trouble was taken to improve the combustion of coal and to reduce the consumption of steam, The most plausible explanation appears to be the general impression, held as an accepted fact, that gas, especially hot, uncleaned, blast-furnace gas, was not a good boiler fuel. Many managers of high repute had tried unsuccessfully to improve the conditions of its use, and the dictum went forth that efficiencies of over 60 per cent., particularly with high loads, were impossible. This was the situation not only in the United States, with very cheap fuel, but also in Europe, where fuel prices are twice and three times as high.

Jan 1, 1916

By Joseph M. Singer

Having established that sodium chloride reduces the incendivity of explosives, the Bureau of Mines studied the effect of sodium nitrate in reducing ignition hazards. Gallery experiments showed that sodium nitrate reduced the incendivity of certain explosives to 8 percent natural gas in air but increased their incendivity to coal dust predispersed in air. Laboratory experiments using hot jets from explosions of stoichiometric mixtures of methane-oxygen-nitrogen showed that both sodium chloride and sodium nitrate reduced the incendivity to methane, to mixtures of coal dust and methane) and to coal dust. The difference between the gallery and laboratory results with respect to coal dust is attributed to temperature-time effects.

Jan 1, 1967

By Y. A. Rocher, J. E. Dorn, L. A. Shepard

Creep activation energies for single aluminum crystals favorably oriented for shear by (010) [101] glide were detemined over the temperature range from 78" to 900°K. Observations of slip bands on the specimen surface were made in conjunction with the investigation. From 78" to 780°K, the activation energies obtained in this imestigation agreed closely with those previously found for creep by (111) [101] slip. Between 78" and 140°K, the activation energy was identified with the Peierls process, while between 260°and 780°K the activation energy was close to that for cross-slip. The coarse wavy slip bands nominally parallel to the (010) plane observed above 260°K were attributed to fine cross-slip. From 800" to 900°K, unusually high apparent activation energies ranging from 28,000 to 54,000 cal per mole were obtained. These apparent activation energies were attributed to re crystallization. AS illustrated in Fig. 1, a recent investigation1 has shown that creep of aluminum single crystals by the (111) [i01] mechanism is controlled by three unique processes, each of which is characterized by a single activation energy which is independent of the applied stress and the creep strain. A comparison of the observed activation energies with theoretically calculated values permits a fairly clear identification of the three operative creep processes. Below 450°K, where the activation energy for creep is 3,400 cal per mole, the deformation is controlled by the Peierls process, the activation energy for creep agreeing well with that calculated by seeger2 for the energy required to nucleate the motion of a dislocation loop against the atomic forces of the lattice. Between 590° and 750°K, the observed activation energy for creep of about 28,000 cal per mole agrees well with the energy necessary to induce cross-slip. Seeger and schoeck3 estimate that the activation energy is about 24,000 cal per mole whereas Friedel4 recently calculated this activation energy to be 28,000 cal per mole. Above 800°K the activation energy of 35,500 cal per mole that was observed for creep agrees well with that estimated for self-diffusion in aluminum.= In this range the operative rate-controlling slip process has been clearly identified as that arising from the climb of edge dislocations. The objective of this investigation is to ascertain whether a single crystal of aluminum favorably oriented for simple shear in the [loll direction on the (010) plane might exhibit uniquely different activation energies for creep from those obtained previously for (111) [101] slip. Whereas the exis- tence of such unique activation energies would constitute incontrover table evidence for new mechanisms of slip, the absence of any new activation energies might suggest that slip of aluminum is confined to the (111) [loll mechanism. Several factors prompted the selection of the (010) [101] orientation for study. First, there are more reported observations of (010) [loll slip than of any other nonoctahe-dral mechanism.8-10Secondly, Chalmers and Martius1l have concluded from considerations of the energies of dislocations that (010) slip is the second most favored mechanism in face-centered-cubic metals. Finally, favorable orientations for simple shear by the (010) [loll mechanism provide the least favored orientation for slip by the (111) [101] mechanism. EXPE-RIMENTAL PRO-CEDURE The high-purity aluminum stock, specimen preparation, shear fixture, extensometry, and experimental technique used in this investigation were the same as those previously reported.' Single-crystal spheres grown from the melt of 99.995 pct pure Al* were _ *The high-purity aluminum used in this investigation was graciously given by the Aluminum Company of America. oriented, carefully machined into dumbbell-shaped shear specimens, annealed, and chemically polished. The finished specimen had a central reduced section 0.190 in. wide and 0.590 in. in diam and 1/4-in. grip sections at both sides, 0.690 in. in diameter. The specimen was oriented in the stainless steel grips of the shear fixture with the (010) plane perpendicular to the dumbbell axis and the [loll direction parallel to the stress axis within 2 deg. Creep activation energies were calculated in the previously described manner1 from determinations of the instantaneous change in shear strain rate produced by an abrupt 15 to 20 deg increase or decrease in test temperature. If is the instantaneous strain rate at strain y and temperature T1, and ?2 the instantaneous rate at y and T2,

Jan 1, 1960

The Bureau of Mines performed cratering experiments in a homogeneous granite to test scaling laws for charge weights of 0.00476, 0.0220, 0.0900, 0.304, and 1.03 lb. Agreement among the data was best when empirical scaling exponents greater than one-third were assumed. Although the analysis showed that the best empirical scaling exponents were 0.37 for crater volume, 0.38 for crater radius, and 0.39 scaling for crater depth, all three crater dimensions could be scaled with a 0.38 scaling exponent.

Jan 1, 1970

By Paloma Lazaro, Moe Momayez

Interactions between human beings and their work environment require the body to regulate its temperature by balancing heat production and loss. Comfortable environmental conditions are crucial for keeping workers safe and healthy and to maintain a suitable level of productivity. However, achieving a proper core body temperature may become challenging under different conditions, especially in high heat-generating workplaces such as hot underground mines. Because hot underground mines have the potential to expose workers to heat stress, compliance with standardized and regulated indices and criteria is distinctly required. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the current research on heat stress and strain in hot underground mines, collected from published and specialized literature. General definitions, statistics of heat-related accidents in mining, overview of the indices, standards, and recommendations for heat stress are provided herein.

Oct 6, 2020

By SANDEEP KUMAR JENA

This paper reviews the recovery of potassium from different rocks and mineral sources. Global demand for potassium is rising steadily due to the growth of agricultural production. Fertilizer manufacture consumes the majority of the world’s potassium production, with other uses including those in the pharmaceutical, glass, ceramic, food and detergent industries. The availability of soluble potash (K2O) minerals, such as sylvite, kainite and carnalite, in countries like Canada, the United States, Israel and Russia makes them major potash producers, whereas agriculture-based countries like Liberia, Somalia, Central African Republic, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and India meet their potassium requirements through imports only. In these countries, the huge availability of potassium-bearing rocks/minerals like nepheline syenite, feldspar, mica and glauconitic sandstone, containing around 4 to 17 percent K2O, brings up the prospect of commercial production of potassium. Potassium recovery from minerals/rocks is complicated due to the uniform distribution of potassium throughout the crystal structure. Different physico-chemical separation methods like bioleaching, chemical leaching, flotation and roast-leaching have been discussed for the successful recovery of potash values from these rocks/minerals. Although seawater is vastly available, the recovery of potassium from seawater using chemical precipitation, solvent extraction, membrane separation and ion-exchange methods is not cost-effective due to low concentration of potassium.

By Harold M. Smith

[Important discoveries of new oil fields were made in 1937 in the State of Illinois. Oil production, which was virtually constant during 1934, 1935, and 1936 at about 4,400,000 barrels a year, a increased to 7,499,000, barrels during 1937, and in 1938 this production was trebled. In 1939, 94,302,0003/ barrels were produced (almost foot times the 1938 quantity), making Illinois one of the cost important oil-producing areas in the United States. The Bureau of Mines has analyzed 35 samples of petroleum from these new Illinois fields and presents the analyses herein. Included with them in this report are analyses of seven samples from fields developed before 1936.]

Jan 1, 1940

By J. B. F. Champlin

The continuing development of the nuclear industry in the United States requires a program of waste disposal that insures against the release of large amounts of radioactivity to the environment. This paper describes research on one proposed means of disposal of this waste, that of injection into geologic formations at depth. Nuclear production plant wastes were simulated and injected into samples of sedimentary rock obtained from outcrops, quarries, and deep wells. Changes in the chemical and physical characteristics of the rocks caused by the interaction of ions and suspended particles in the waste solutions with the cementing material and claylike particles in the rock are discussed. Laboratory tests show that nuclear wastes can be injected into many natural porous, permeable geologic formations. Injectivity can be maintained over a longer period by monitoring the ionic balance and particle-size distribution of waste streams. The combination of permeability and porosity with low cation-retention capacity, as exhibited by most sandstones, would satisfy the engineering requirements for the subsurface disposal of nuclear waste. Shales and clays with their low permeability and high cation-retention capacity would make excellent confining formations. The amount of cation retained by sedimentary rocks increases with increasing valence or concentration of the cation or decreasing brine concentration. The use of rock cores as model reservoirs had proved successful in determining some of the parameters that need to be considered in full-scale field disposal of wastes.

Jan 1, 1967

By Harold M. Smith

Important discoveries of new oil fields were made in 1937 in the State of Illinois. Oil production, which was virtually constant during 1934, 1935, and 1936 at about 4,400,000 barrels a year, a increased to 7,499,000, barrels during 1937, and in 1938 this production was trebled. In 1939, 94,302,0003/ barrels were produced (almost four times the 1938 quantity), making Illinois one of the cost important oil-producing areas in the United States. The Bureau of Mines has analyzed 35 samples of petroleum from these new Illinois fields and presents the analyses herein. Included with them in this report are analyses of seven samples from fields developed before 1936.

Jan 1, 1940

By Willian dos Reis Lima

O aumento contínuo da produção de aço nas últimas décadas, fez com que usinas siderúrgicas se adaptassem a novas demandas a fabricação de aço. Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar os reatores que variam de 6-350 toneladas de aço vazado correlacionado seus parâmetros dimensionais e com a ajuda de uma ferramenta de extrapolação de dados, propor dimensionalmente um convertedor de 800 toneladas. Finalizando, verificando a correlação entre os aspectos importantes como: altura do nível do banho estático, relação de esbeltez e relação carga / volume. Os resultados mostram a grande variação dimensional entre os reatores. Em alguns casos, mesmo com capacidades semelhantes, os reatores são diferentes devido fabricantes diferentes. Em casos específicos, os reatores têm uma tendência para obter idealidade (volume específico igual a 1) ou superar com ele o nível adimensional tende a diminuir.

Oct 30, 2017

By P. V. Brough, K. B. Gillaspie

DECISION to build a mill at the Bayard property was made in May 1942. Western-Knapp Engineering Co., of San Francisco, assisted by engineers of U. S. Smelting, handled the design and construction. Much of the milling equipment was moved from the Company's mill at Goldroad, Ariz. Wartime restrictions necessitated wood construction and paper sheathing except for structures adjacent to the Bullfrog shaft. Construction started in September 1942 and milling in March 1943. Bayard ores are processed in a single-ection mill. About half of the ore treated during the past year was hoisted through the Bullfrog shaft and the rest was trucked from other shafts. Coarse storage includes four bins, two of 120 tons each for Bullfrog ores and two of 85 to 120 tons each, served by a truck ramp. The low capacity figure refers to

Jan 1, 1948

By Jerry B. F. Champlin

NIOSHAn accelerated testing procedure developed by the Bureau of Mines for evaluating commercially available corrosion inhibitors is described. Ultra-sonic agitation of the corrodent solutions and the hot-finished mild steel test coupons was used to evaluate the effects of several variables on the effectiveness of two corrosion inhibitors. Small changes in the weight of the test coupons in both controlled and inhibited corrodents, before and after exposure, affected the precision and accuracy of the results. Minute amounts of oxygen in the systems were found to be causing the relatively large deviations in the corrosion developed in the controlled tests. Microscopic examination of the test coupons revealed that both surface preparation and internal strains resulting from fabrication methods materially affect corrosion behavior.

Jan 1, 1965

By R. W. Stahl

Gas accumulation and dust suspension are the major safety hazards in coal stockpiling and reclaiming operations. This report presents a schedule of safety precautions and plant design features devised by the Bureau of Mines to reduce danger from these and other sources.

Jan 1, 1965

By Wu Aixiang, Zhou Qian, Zhou Zaibo, Liu Juanhong, Wang Hongjiang

To improve the pumping capacity and engineering efficiency of fresh thickened tailings slurry, a high charge density superplasticizer was developed to improve the rheological properties of tailings slurry. The effects of superplasticizer content, the concentration and fineness of tailings, the proportion and type of cementitious materials, temperature, and hydration time on the rheological properties of unclassified tailings slurry and backfill materials were studied. The variation characteristics of the slurry yield stress, plastic viscosity, and thixotropy with different factors were measured by a Brookfield R/S-SST plus rheometer. The experimental results of fresh thickened tailings illustrated that the higher the concentration of the slurry and the finer the tailings, the worse the rheological properties of the slurry. The results of cemented paste backfill materials indicated that the rheological parameters increased as binder content and time increased. The rheological parameters decreased as the temperature increased. The addition of a superplasticizer reduced the rheological parameters and improved the rheological behavior of the fresh thickened tailings and cemented paste backfill materials, which was beneficial to the slurry’s pipeline transportation. This paper can provide technical guidance for slurry transportation in the backfill system and provide a reference for designing the superplasticizer used in tailings.

Jan 5, 2022

By M A. Rhamdhani, K Avarmaa, A Putera, J Chen, G Brooks

Silicon-based photovoltaic cells are currently the most dominant types applied to convert solar energy to electricity. In solar-grade silicon (SG-Si), the control of boron (B) and phosphorus (P) is very critical. Generally, these elements are difficult to remove into acceptable sub-ppm levels from lower grade Si. This study investigates slag treatment as a process for Si refining, focusing on the behaviour of P and B. The experiments were conducted by equilibrating Si-B-P alloys with 43 wt per cent SiO2 – 47 wt per cent CaO – 10 wt per cent Al2O3 slag under inert atmosphere at 1500°C. Different crucible materials were used (Al2O3, SiO2 and MgO), which determined the primary saturation phase for the system and modified the final slag composition accordingly. The samples were equilibrated and analysed with microanalysis techniques (EPMA (electron probe microanalysis) and LA-ICP-MS (laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry)). New standards were prepared and applied in the LA-ICP-MS analyses. Experimental results show that silver is essentially fully dissolved in silicon, as well as most phosphorus with LP ( = wt per cent P in slag/wt per cent P in Si) between 0.1–0.3. The distribution coefficient of boron was measured to be between 1 and 2. The crucible material used had an influence on the phase compositions and slight influence on the distribution coefficients of boron and phosphorus. The experimental results provided new accurate data when considering applicability of slag treatment as a technique for Si refining and Si PV cell recycling.

Jun 19, 2024