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By Homer E. Harris, William C. DeSieghardt, William A. Burgess

Under sponsorship of NIOSH, Eastern Associated Coal Corp., with the Harvard School of Public Health acting as a subcontractor, has determined for the first time the effective protection provided to working underground coal miners wearing approved half-mask dust respirators. This was done by conducting 187 man-shifts of in-mine testing in four different coal mines; included in this testing were 37 different test subjects representing 11 different job classifications and 5 different models of respirators. Presently available respirators on average provided significant protection levels to working miners even though on an intermittent use basis. However, "average" protection values were well below those achieved under laboratory conditions. Protection levels varied from man to man in a given work crew and from day to day for a given man. In addition, some of the factors affecting use and effectiveness of presently used respirators are discussed, as are areas in which improvements are needed, and the need to consider these improvements in context of a systems approach.

Jan 1, 1975

By Homer E. Harris

As a result of the enactment of the Federal. Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 1, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) has been carrying out research in the "field of coal mine health". The National Institute (formerly Bureau) for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was designated the agency within HEW to be responsible for such research activities. One of the early programs sponsored by NIOSH was undertaken by Eastern Associated Coal Corp., with the Harvard University School of Public Health participating as a subcontractor to Eastern. This program on Coal Mine Respiratory Protective Devices, which started on June 30, 1970, had five major objectives as follows: a. to determine current status of respirator usage with respect to duration and frequency, types. and maintenance b. to determine acceptability ( and reasons therefor) of currently used units c. to determine protection factors provided by respirators worn by working miners d. to make recommendations on ways to improve existing units, or on research needed to develop new types of respiratory protective devices for coal miners e. to provide recommendations to mine management on more effective use of respiratory protective devices

Jan 1, 1973

By W. N. Lacey, B. H. Sage

THE results of an extensive experimental program relating to the effectiveness of gravel screens have been correlated. The factors considered in some detail include gravel size and condition of packing, sand size and size distribution, fluid velocity, fluid viscosity, and thickness and arrangement of gravel screens. Good agreement between calculated values based upon probability considerations and experimental results relating to the influence of the thickness of the gravel screen was obtained. All of these factors are treated in the correlation in order that their influence may be taken into account in ascertaining the characteristics of an effective gravel screen for a particular set of conditions. The details of the experimental program are not given in the present paper but a description of generalized behavior and typical experimental results are recorded in graphic form. INTRODUCTION Gravel screens have been placed in water and oil wells for a number of years1,2,3 with the dual objective of increasing the productivity and decreasing the entrance of sand into the well bore. An understanding of the factors controlling the effectiveness of gravel screens in this connection is of industrial interest because it will lead to the proper selection of gravel. Some of the fundamental considerations involved in the migration of sand through a coarser body of porous materials were investigated by Coberly and Wagner4 and further experimental work has been carried out by Gumpertz.5 Apparently the pertinent phenomena are somewhat complex and are influenced by many variables. The present paper deals with the prediction of the behavior of gravel screens under the conditions encountered in practice but does not attempt to discuss the experimental methods or results that were obtained as a background and upon which the prediction is based. INFLUENCE OF GRAVEL SCREENS UPON PRODUCTIVITY The use of a gravel screen may increase the productivity of a well by increasing its effective diameter, and this constitutes one of the objectives of its use. The permeability of most gravels and coarse sands that are employed in practice is so large compared to that of the sand in place that relatively little loss in production rate will arise from the use of material fine enough to cause the desired resistance to sand migration. For example, in Fig. I is depicted the approximate variation in the permeability of closely sized spherical gravels under the conditions of packing likely to be encountered in screens. The dotted lines indicate the variation that might be found because of differences in packing. It should be realized that the permeability is not a single-valued function of the. average grain diameter but is related to a large number of factors, including the size, the size distribution and the shapes of the particles. However, Fig. I does permit a rough estimation of the permeability of closely sized- spherical gravels and shows that the permeability with even the smaller particles is very large compared to that of most petroleum production horizons.

Jan 1, 1941

By Y. M. Ha, T. D. Nguyen, D. T. Nguyen, H. K. Choi

Conventionally, cement deep mixing (CDM) columns are designed to have constant diameters over the improved depth as this facilitates the construction procedures. However, this design pattern may be inefficient in cases of spread footings or shallow foundations. This paper first briefly introduces principles of an improved CDM method that can create head-enlarged CDM (termed PF) columns. A simple analysis approach was introduced to obtain optimal shape of PF columns that results in minimum settlement. The effectiveness of this improved method over the conventional CDM method was then illustrated by settlement analysis for an actual footing in a case study using two recommended analytical methods in the literature. Analysis results from the case indicated that by using the same amount of soil-cement mixed volumes, settlement from a footing on PF columns can reduce up to 10 % compared with that from the same footing on CDM columns. In addition, a material quantity comparison for the case indicated that to have the same settlement values the volume of each PF column can be reduced of around 10% compared with that of the CDM column. INTRODUCTION The cement deep mixing (CDM) method is one of the most popular methods in ground improvement works. Details on the method such as construction procedures, necessary equipment and recommendations are described in many references or manuals (e.g. Bruce et al. 2013, BS EN 2015, Kitazume and Terashi 2013). Conventionally, CDM columns are designed to have constant diameters over the improved depth as this facilitates the construction procedures. However, this design pattern is found inefficient in cases of spread footings or shallow foundations as the upper soil layers are naturally weaker than the deeper ones but are subjected to larger amount of induced stress from the superstructures.

Jan 1, 2019

Effectiveness of Lead as an Alternative to Copper Activation in Gold Bearing Iron Sulfide Flotation

Sep 13, 2010

By M. Uszko

The paper presents the conditions for determining the selection of methods for methane drainage in Polish hard coal mines. Various factors for the evaluation of methane drainage performance are used, including the methane drainage effectiveness ratio. However, as will be discussed there are limitations to the methane drainage ratio approach resulting from the characteristics of the deposits extracted in Kompania Weglowa S.A. coal mines.

Aug 1, 2013

By Jerzy F. Sobala

Large - scale tests at the Polish Safety in Mines Institute /established in 1925 as "Barbara" Experimental mine/ performed in underground and surface experimental galleries, simulating conditions in roadways in mines, are the basic source of knowledge about development and propagation of explosions. Investigations up to 1973 were performed under the Institute's former research director Professor W.B. Cybulski s supervision, whose handbook concerning combating of coal dust explosions in collieries has been also published in the U.S. (2), and are continued until now. For investigating explosions the "Barbara" Mine disposes of 170 m /7.5 sq m/, 200 m /5 sq m/ and 400 m /7.5 sq m/ underground gallieries as well as of 10 m, 25 m, 44 m and 100 m surface galleries. For example, in the 200 m gallery more than 5200, and in the 400 m gallery - more than 2200 test explosions have been performed. Basing on determination of explosion hazard in roadways in collieries and on data of scientific research performed at the Safety in Mines Institute, the strategy of combating the explosion hazard in mines was elaborated; it includes mainly diminishing of coal duet. deposition in roadways, and -because of the possible inefficiency of this safety means in some roadways in mechanized collieries -- the introduction of three additional defence lines against coal dust explosions. It should be mentioned that at the "Barbara" Mine the problem of coal dust explosion initiation was elaborated as contract work for the U.S. Bureau of Mines. The main aim of this paper is to discuss some aspects of methods and measures for combating coal dust explosion hazard in highly mechanized mines in the Polish mining industry where in some roadways explosible coal dust is present, but it is not the aim to evaluate the effectiveness of methods and measures for diminishing the make-up of coal dust and coal dust deposition rates in roadways.

Jan 1, 1980

By J. W. Hawkins, K. B. C. Brady, M. W. Smith

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP) has been issuing surface mining permits since 1984 that authorize remining in areas that will affect preexisting pollutional discharges. These permits require the mine operator to employ best management practices to reduce pollution loading from abandoned mine discharges. A total of 110 completed mining operations with 233 discharges were evaluated to determine the impact to water quality. Overall, acid loading from these discharges was reduced by 7, 200 kg (15, 900 lbs) per day or 61%. Metal loadings were also reduced. For acidity, 49% of discharges improved or were eliminated, 52% showed no significant change and fewer than 1 % got worse. Loading reductions resulted from a combination of reduced concentrations and lower flows.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. W. Hawkins, K. B. C. Brady, M. W. Smith

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP) has been issuing surface mining permits since 1984 that authorize remining in areas that will affect preexisting pollutional discharges. These permits require the mine operator to employ best management practices to reduce pollution loading from abandoned mine discharges. A total of 110 completed mining operations with 233 discharges were evaluated to determine the impact to water quality. Overall, acid loading from these discharges was reduced by 7,200 kg (15,900 lbs) per day or 61%. Metals loadings were also reduced. For acidity, 49% of discharges improved or were eliminated, 52% showed no significant change, and fewer than 1% got worse. Loading reductions resulted from a combination of reduced concentrations and lower flows.

Jan 1, 2002

By J. W. Hawkins, K. B. C. Brady, K. Miller, J. Cuddeback

Remining of abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania requires the implementation of pollution abatement and mining techniques called Best Management Practices (BMPs). Water-quality data from over 100 remining sites with more than 230 abandoned discharges were analyzed with respect to the types of BMPs employed to abate the pollution loadings of acidity, iron, manganese, aluminum and sulfate. Discharges exhibiting a significant decrease in acidity were most highly associated with sites where large volumes of alkaline materials were encountered (66.7%) or added (63.7%). The best results for iron loading were achieved with large-quantity alkaline addition (54.6%) and water handling systems (47.8%). Water handling systems (47.4%), daylighting (40.7%), and revegetation (40.2%) were associated with significantly lower manganese loadings. The decreases in acidity and sulfate loads associated with increasing the amount of alkaline material in the backfill indicates that the production of acid mine drainage can be retarded by adding large quantities of alkaline materials.

Jan 1, 2002

By Atta Ur Rehman, Kwame Awuah‑Offei

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of similitude theory in predicting the draft of a rubber tire loader’s bucket during initial penetration. The work uses 1:16 and 1:8 scale models of an 18-t capacity load haul dump, scaled with the Buckingham Pi Theorem, to evaluate the prediction of draft and penetration under different operating and different dynamic conditions. The authors hypothesize that the observed relationships between draft and longitudinal penetration and the operating and dynamic conditions will hold true for an upscaled model. Similarly, the authors hypothesized that the results of experiments conducted with the smaller scaled model should predict the draft on an upscaled model. The results show that the relationships between draft and longitudinal penetration and operating and dynamic parameters are similar for both scaled models. Similarly, the draft on the upscaled model, predicted by using the experimental results of the small model, is similar to the measured draft on the upscaled model. The mean difference between the two is 1.71 N with 95% confidence interval of [-3.51, 6.93], which is very good given the average draft is approximately 330 N. Thus, the work indicates that both hypotheses are true for draft. However, the work shows that scaling muck pile particle sizes using the Buckingham Pi Theorem is not adequate to ensure good predictions of penetration. This work provides insights that will help design engineers to acquire useful data on scaled models and use it for various analyses on heavy machinery.

Oct 6, 2021

By Atta Ur Rehman, Kwame Awuah-Offei

This work evaluates the effectiveness of similitude theory in predicting the draft of a rubber tire loader’s bucket during initial penetration. The work uses 1:16 and 1:8 scale models of an 18-t capacity load haul dump, scaled with the Buckingham Pi theorem, to evaluate the prediction of draft and penetration under different operating and different dynamic conditions. We hypothesized that the observed relationships between draft and longitudinal penetration and the operating and dynamic conditions will hold true for an upscaled model. Similarly, we hypothesized that the results of experiments conducted with the smaller scale model should predict the draft on an upscaled model.

By A Goldstone, M Fitzpatrick

Contemporary mine wastewater flows are subject to stringent water quality standards before discharge to local waterways. Strict criteria are often applied as a result of fears of extensive acid mine drainage; a feature of the many abandoned mine adits around the Coromandel, Central Otago, and the West Coast. In most cases the USEPA water quality criteria have been used to set treated wastewater discharge water quality standards. In future it is possible that the recently published ANZECC water quality criteria guidelines will be used for this purpose. The ANZECC guidelines also provide for the establishment of discharge criteria at specific sites, rather than accept the trigger values. The use of site-specific criteria for treated wastewater mine discharges was pioneered at the Golden Cross gold mine, near Waihi, in the late 1980s. The procedure used to derive water quality criteria was based on USEPA guidelines. In developing the Golden Cross criteria, only species that occur, or are similar to those that occur in the Waitekauri River were used. The mine commenced discharge of treated wastewater in 1991, and macroinvertebrate communities in the vicinity of the discharge point have been regularly monitored twice a year for the past 12 years. Despite fluctuations in community composition and abundance over that period, no permanent significant changes in the macroinvertebrate communities occurred between sites above and below the treated wastewater discharge. The success of the site-specific criteria at Golden Cross has shown how the application of this methodology can result in the protection of aquatic life while allowing for the discharge of treated mine wastewater.

Jan 1, 2003

By Steven E. Mischler, Jay F. Colinet

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) promulgated a rule in 2014 that required numerous changes in compliance dust sampling requirements for coal mine operators. Two key parts of this rule were the lowering of the respirable coal mine dust standard from 2.0 mg/m3 to 1.5 mg/m3 and requiring operators of underground coal mines to use a continuous personal dust monitor (CPDM) for compliance sampling. The CPDM currently approved for compliance sampling is equipped with a display that provides miners with in-shift information on their respirable dust exposure. The goal was to provide an indication of a potential overexposure and empower the miner and mine operator to implement changes in controls and/or operating practices to prevent an overexposure from occurring.

By Steven E. Mischler, Jay F. Colinet

The study analyzes the impact of the Continuous Personal Dust Monitor (CPDM) on reducing overexposures to coal mine dust. It compares compliance sampling data before and after the implementation of the CPDM and the 2014 MSHA dust rule. The results indicate a significant reduction in the percentage of samples exceeding the dust standard for various mining occupations, highlighting the effectiveness of the CPDM in improving miners’ health and safety.

Feb 22, 2022

By M. R. Garmsiri

With the environmental issues and water recycling becoming more significant, the development of deep cone thickeners has improved the efficiency of thickening. While deep cones performance is dependent on many factors, the sensitivity of an industrial thickener to each variable factor has not been determined. In this work, four industrial deep cone thickeners, which are used on tailings stream in Shahrebabak Copper Complex, were monitored for a year to analyze the effectiveness of different factors affecting the performance. Feed flow rate, fine fraction of the feed, solids concentration, flocculant dosage and concentration, solids density, pH, temperature and bed height were the factors investigated on the basis of partial R2 and partial correlation. Results indicated that, with positive effect, feed slurry dilution affected the dewatering efficiency most sensitively. With a negative effect, the sensitivity of dewatering efficiency of deep cone thickeners to flocculant dosage was negligible. While, decreasing flocculant solution concentration had a considerable positive effect.

Sep 1, 2012

By Maria I. De Rosa, Charles D. Litton

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH/PRL) con­ducted a series of large-scale experiments to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of various concentrations of an inert gas mixture (CO2,8%;N2, 50%; Ar, 42%) for preventing and sup­pressing cab ?res. Comparison of concentrations effectiveness in yielding safe times has led to the choice of an optimum gas mixture concentration, discharged in the cab through a muf?ed nozzle system, for the development of a dual cab ?re inerting system. Of note is that safety training programs, including the synchronization of performed tasks, need to accompany this technology to enhance operator’s ef?ciency and safety during ?re emergencies within the safe times yielded by the cab ?re inerting system. Cab ?res are caused by the ignition of ?ammable vapors and mists (ball of ?re) that penetrate the cab during prolonged hydraulic ?uid and fuel ?res, and electrical malfunctions involving other cab combustible materials. Often, these ?res force the operator to exit the cab under hazardous conditions during a time needed to perform emergency tasks. Hence, it is important to provide the operator, not only with an engine fire suppression system (dry chemical powder), but also with a cab ?re protection system, effective both in preventing the ignition of ?ammable vapors in the cab, and suppressing cab material ?res.

By Leland L. Mink, Roy E. Williams, C. Daniel Kealy

The passage by Congress of Public Law 92-500 (the 1972 Water Pollution Control Act amendment) has placed a new emphasis on the need for methods to minimize the escape of water from tailings ponds. Presumably tailings pond seepage will fall under the jurisdiction of the act. This paper is designed to explain some of the problems caused by leakage from tailings ponds and to present a method by which leakage can be minimized if not eliminated. Ground-water pollution in one case studied by the authors results from leaching of old jig tailings that are intermixed with the upper part of a sand and gravel aquifer. Anomalous concentrations of zinc, lead, and cadmium occur in ground water and soil samples taken from the portion of the sand and gravel aquifer containing the old jig tailings. Analysis of water samples from a tailings pond located in the area indicates that the pond water is not the source of the heavy metal concentrations found in the down-gradient ground water. However, leakage from the pond and water from the pond's decant system combine with natural ground water to compound the problem by raising the water table into old jig tailings which cover the upper portion of the aquifer. The ground water which discharges from this aquifer causes a statistically significant decrease in the quality of the receiving stream water. The shallow ground water contains oxygen; therefore, corrective measures include lowering the water table to depths below the old jig tailings which cover the aquifer at ground level. This, in turn, implies elimination of ground-water recharge by subsurface leakage from the pond. A laboratory study and a mathematical model study have revealed that seepage from such ponds can be minimized by a carefully designed and managed peripheral tailings discharge system. The process involves maintaining the slime zone and the free-water surface near the center of the pond so that the slimes retard downward and semilateral movement of pond water. The free-water surface must not be allowed to extend out over the nonslime portion of the tailings during or after pond operation. Mathematical model output reveals that this method can hold the subsurface discharge rate to as little as 110 gpd per acre of pond water area. The technique should be applicable to any tailings pond system in which the loss via seepage of poor quality water must be minimized or where recharge of ground water by losses from a tailings pond must be minimized, regardless of the reason.

Jan 1, 1974

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a diesel particulate filter (DPF) regeneration process on the concentrations and size distributions of aerosols in an underground mine. Two active regeneration strategies were examined for an electrically regenerated sintered metal fiber filtration system, and the effects were compared with those observed for a muffler and the same system operated in a passive configuration. The effects were assessed for three steady-state engine operating conditions. The number and mass concentrations and size distributions of aerosols in mine air were found to be strongly affected by the exhaust configuration, engine operating conditions and the regeneration process. When the system was operated in active configurations, the concentrations exhibited a transient and cyclic nature. At light load conditions, the distributions of aerosols in mine air were dominated by accumulation mode aerosols for all exhaust configurations and regeneration strategies. High concentrations of nucleation aerosols were observed when the DPF system was used and the engine was operated at high load conditions. A positive correlation between accumulation of particulate matter in the filter and the efficiency of the filter in removing accumulation mode aerosols was observed for all conditions. In the case of high engine load, reductions in accumulation mode aerosol concentrations were linked to a substantial increase in number concentrations of nucleation mode aerosol. Overall, the filtration system was found to be very effective in reducing total aerosol mass and elemental carbon concentrations for all engine operating conditions. However, the system was substantially more effective in passive than in active regeneration configurations.

Jan 1, 2012

By David F. Becker

Two-dimensional, finite-difference elastic modeling aids in planning an optimum seismic-acquisition scheme to define the extent of subsurface cavities resulting from in situ gasification. To understand the seismic effects of a cavity, two models are compared and contrasted. Model A consists of a low-velocity layer (LVL) in a half space; Model B contains a rectangular water-filled cavity in the LVL. Amplitude differences are the dominant effect on the surface records for each model. Cavity resonance and diffraction effects are more definitive in vertical seismic profiles (VSP's) and in a "snapshot" of the wave field. Interpretation and subtraction of corresponding records for both models shows the need for pre- and post-gasification seismic recording. Also VSP data are more informative than surface records.

Jan 1, 1983