Search Documents

By F. H. Willcox

This publication is the third of a series of reports on hazards and the prevention of accidents at blast-furnace plants that is being published by the Bureau of Mines, Technical Paper 106a being the first and Technical Paper 136b the second of the series. This bulletin, which is arranged in three parts, treats of the causes and prevention of blast-furnace breakouts, explosions, and slips. The first part discusses blast-furnace breakouts, the hazards therefrom, causes, and features of furnace design and methods of operation that tend to prevent breakouts or lessen their number, and points out safety measures to be adopted. The second part takes up the theory and causes of gas explosions at blast-furnace plants and reviews the better methods in use for handling gas. The third part analyzes the causes of hanging and scaffolding in blast furnaces, with the resulting slips that frequently cause injury to the plant and danger to the workmen, describes features of construction and furnace design and methods of operation employed to prevent hanging and slipping, and suggests precautions and safeguards.

Jan 1, 1917

By C. J. Wilhelm

Brine produced from subsurface formations may be employed successfully instead of fresh water as a flooding, medium in the secondary recovery of oil. The feasibility of this substitution has been proved in the shallow "shoestring" area of eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma, where the supply of fresh water often is limited. In this procedure all brine produced with the oil is returned to the formation and thus is prevented from contaminating streams and fresh-water supplies. This report includes a detailed description of a "flood project" in eastern Kansas studied by the Bureau of Mines. In an attempt to determine whether brine, when handled properly, can be used as effectively as fresh water in flooding oil from partly depleted, formations, an analysis was made of all .own conditions that influence flooding.

Jan 1, 1941

By Wilbur L. Webb

This publication reports on the design, fabrication and test of an Improved methane monitor system for compliance to 30CFR75.313. The system will Initiate automatic shutdown of mining machinery when excessive concentrations of methane are encountered. The prime consideration: In the design were small size, Improved accuracy and reliability, fast response and a transient resistant power supply capable of reliable operation from any mine power source. The power supply contains an internal battery that provides operating power to the detection system prior to mining machine start-up or after machine shutdown. This report documents the development program from conception through in-mine testing.

Jan 1, 1978

By Sam S. Taylor

In most oil fields, natural gas is the major source of energy causing flow of oil to the well. The amount of gas produced with the oil generally exceeds actual energy requirements, so that in time the gas reserve of the field becomes seriously depleted and the oil production must be stimulated by some auxiliary means. One of these is to repressure the oil formation with natural gas; or, where a as supply is not available, often air is used. Although air is a cheap and convenient repressuring medium, its use sometimes is attended with several disadvantages. First, the return air-gas mixture decreases rapidly in fuel value, often until it can be used no longer as a source of power. At the same time, explosive mixtures may result if recycling is used, causing hazards to life and equipment. Second, sortie fields experience considerable trouble with the formation of emulsions which become increasingly difficult to treat. Although there is no definite proof that air repressuring always causes these emulsions, many operators are convinced that this is the case. The Petroleum Experiment Station of the United States Bureau of Mines at Bartlesville, Okla., has been interested in problems connected with air-repressuring for a number of years. Some time was spent in studying the so-called "bad gas"--return mixture of low fuel value. However, it appeared impossible to attack the problem successfully from this angle, and an approach was made through a laboratory-scale study of direct oxidation of crude oil.

Jan 1, 1934

By T. Braun

In 1911, a young mining engineer named Bartlett Thane assembled a large claim block, 4 miles southeast of Juneau, Alaska. Across the Gastineau Channel on Douglas Island, the Alaska Treadwell Gold Mining Company had, by 1904, produced gold valued at more than three times the purchase price of Alaska in 1867 (Kelly, 2010). Thane knew his deposit was lower grade than other mines or prospects in the area; however, if the deposit was developed on a large-scale, the trend and size of the deposit made the project potentially economic. In 1911, Thane developed a business plan for the project and successfully attracted investor interest. In 1912, Daniel C Jackling visited the property at the request of an east coast investment group. Upon inspection of 5 years of production records for the Perseverance Mine, Jackling saw an opportunity to apply the low-grade/high volume milling technology which was widely adopted to the copper porphyry deposits of the southwestern U.S. With a design capacity of 6,000 tons per day (5,454 tonnes/day), Jackling’s innovative mill design would require high volume underground mining methods and the power of two new hydroelectric projects. By 1915, the Alaska Gastineau Mining Company was in full production. Between 1915 and 1919, the mine and mill set production records for haulage and throughput. The hydroelectric projects proved to be successful engineering marvels. Operational difficulties related to ore grade, refractory elements and labor shortages interrupted production on an increasing basis. In 1921, the mining company permanently shut down operations. INTRODUCTION The Juneau Gold Belt begins at Windham Bay near the southern end of Stephens Passage and extends approximately 100 miles north to Berners Bay (Figure 1). The first large-scale and sustained underground mine, operated by the Alaska Treadwell Gold Mining Company in the late 1880’s, established the Juneau-Douglas area as the regional hub for transportation and development. In the mid-1890’s, the combined population of Juneau and Douglas reached approximately 3,000 residents, largely driven by employment and support demands of several small to mid-size underground gold mines in the region. By 1904, the value of the cumulative gold production of the Alaska Treadwell was five times greater than the purchase price of Alaska in 1867 (Kelly, 2010). By the turn of the 20th century, economic growth in the Juneau-Douglas area relied on supplies delivered from the lower 48. Passenger and freight shipping lines required 3 to 4 days to make the one-way trip from Seattle to Juneau. Established shipping routes required experienced crews due to navigation hazards and adverse weather conditions. Even with precautions at the time, steam ships and freighter vessels experienced breakdowns or encounters with natural hazards that resulted in damage or in some cases, sinking. Interestingly, with no roads or railroads connecting Juneau to other communities in southeast Alaska, Juneau still relies on seaborn shipping in the 21st century.

Jan 1, 2019

By C. J. Wilhelm

Brine produced from subsurface formations may be employed successfully instead of fresh water as a flooding, medium in the secondary recovery of oil. The feasibility of this substitution has been proved in the shallow "shoestring" area of eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma, where the supply of fresh water often is limited. In this procedure all brine produced with the oil is returned to the formation and thus is prevented from contaminating streams and fresh-water supplies. This report includes a detailed description of a "flood project" in eastern Kansas studied by the Bureau of Mines. In an attempt to determine whether brine, when handled properly, can be used as effectively as fresh water in flooding oil from partly depleted formations, an analysis was made of all known conditions that influence flooding.

Jan 1, 1941

By R. R. Hornor, Geo. M. Hunt

The purpose of this paper is to point out some of the benefits and economies to be derived by the better selection , preparation, storage , preservation and utilization of mine timber , and to give some specific information on certain wood preservatives and processes suitable for mine timber preservation . The paper is based largely upon data obtained by actual experimentation and service tests conducted by the U. S. Forest Products Laboratory , Madison, Wisconsin, on wood preservation , covering a period of many years , and upon a field survey during the past summer by one of the mining engineers of the U. S. Bureau of Mines of some of the principal mining districts of Michigan , South Dakota , Montana , and Idaho , in which he made a general ' study of mine timber in metal mines , particular attention "being given to timber decay ; the conditions under which it takes place most actively ; the measures , if any , that are being used to combat it; and, finally, the advantages that might be anticipated in the use of chemically treated timber to prevent decay and thus prolong its life .

Feb 1, 1922

By Montaser S. El‑Salmawy, AHMED A. S. SEIFELNASSR, Ahmed Al‑Abady, Abdeaziem M. Abdelaal, Amr F. M. Ibrahim

Iron is a key detrimental impurity in silica sands that determines their contribution to high-technology industries. Herein, a simple ecologically sound approach is investigated for iron removal from a silica sand sample obtained from the El-Zaafarana area-Egypt. The sample was subjected to a detailed microscopic mineralogical study supported by XRD and XRF characterization. The sample was beneficiated using distilled water attrition scrubbing and screening over a 25 μm sieve followed by leaching using a mixture of equal amounts of phosphoric and oxalic acids. Leaching experiments were designed and analyzed using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) methodology. A model was developed and evaluated using the analysis of variance technique to map the relationship between the residual iron oxide in the produced concentrate and selected variables such as leaching temperature, oxalic acid, and phosphoric acid concentrations. XRD and mineralogical analysis reveal that quartz is the most dominant constituent of the studied sand and other minerals such as kaolinite, iron oxide, rutile, and zircon exist in trace amounts. The head sample shows a silica and iron oxide content of 95.69% and 2379 ppm, respectively. Attrition and separation over a 25 μm sieve increase the silica content to 97.05% and decreases the residual iron oxide to 455 ppm. The final product after leaching under optimized conditions shows 99.82% silica and 55 ppm iron oxide.

Aug 30, 2022

By Graham W. Marks

Recently it was shown the total energy method of spectrochemical analysis is suitable for the quantitative estimation of many of the elements of which ores are composed. It was shown how this method can be applied to the determination of germanium, tin, and lead. Continuing, this work, the present report deals with analyses for beryllium, zinc, cadmium; and indium. There are three basic problems in these investigations. The first is to study the influence of those elements that make up the greater part of an ore sample on the spectral-line intensities of the elements for which analyses are being made, the latter generally being the minor constituents. The second is to develop proper methods for the preparation of standard spectrographic curves. Finally, we are concerned with improvement in equipment and procedure, so that greater accuracy can be achieved. As discussed previously, it is better to study as groups those elements that belong to the same group in the periodic table because their spectra are similar. Beryllium, zinc, and cadmium are thus related. Indium was included in this work because it is, associated with zinc and cadmium in zinc ores.

Jan 1, 1948

By Ellsworth Y. Dougherty, Edwards F. Fitzhugh

"INTRODUCTION During the summer of 1945 the Bureau of Mines made approximately 200 miles of reconnaissance magnetic surveys in north-central Mirnesota. The survey started near the western end of the Mesabi Iron Range and extended into the area to the southwest, west, and northwest and also southward to the-northern limits of the Cuyuna Iron Range. The purpose of the survey was to data to assist exploration for iron ore in the region through:1. Supplying a relatively unit form network of traverses, by which and future surveys of localities in the urea ray be correlated. Suggesting localities in which more detailed magnetic surveys may be justified, and, Disclosing localities in which there is lass hope of obtaining significant results from further magnetic surveys.The instrument used was a Hotchkiss Superdip, and traverses for calibration and comparison were run with a Schmidt-type magnetometer. Field observations and work directly related thereto were carried out under contract by E. J. Lang-year Co., Minneapolis. Engineers of the Bureau of Mines planned, directed, and reviewed the survey."

Aug 1, 1946

The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 requires that each operator of a coal mine shall take accurate samples of the amount of respirable dust in the mine atmosphere to which each miner is exposed, a measure designed to prevent the development of coal workers' pneumoconiosis. This textbook manual is used in the training of personnel to operate respirable dust sampling devices and to conduct sampling programs. It contains the portions of the act applicable to respirable dust standards, the procedures to be followed to insure compliance with Federal regulations, and descriptions of sampling devices.

Jan 1, 1971

By C Tapia Cortez, C Sammut, S Saydam, J Coulton

‘Like every other commodity, the value of the metals is subject to variation’ (Ricardo, 1817). Mineral commodity price uncertainties have always been a significant issue in mining business due to the close relation between global economic conditions and commodity prices, which commonly generates significant and unexpected price fluctuations. Price forecasts have been driven by economic theory, which states that in the long-run market will be balanced and that prices tend to the marginal cost of production. However, this theory has been misunderstood in the mining industry and future prices through time, in real terms, are assumed to be unchanged. This is unrealistic due to regardless of the cycling nature of economy and the omission of uncertainties. Furthermore, using historical data in traditional price forecast approaches does not guarantee realistic predictions as past events will not necessarily be repeated at the same intervals and with the same intensity. Mining, finance and economic sectors have made significant research efforts to predict prices and control uncertainties through classic linear, Gaussian and probabilistic simulation approaches. However, by definition, uncertainties cannot be measured or accurately modelled. Uncertainties can be identified to measure and manage the associated risks; therefore, uncertainties in mining projects have been historically misinterpreted, erroneously measured and poorly controlled. It is widely known that supply and demand functions drive market prices. While technological development noticeably influences supply, demand is strongly driven by psychological factors, mainly related to customer preferences and lifestyle expectations. Thus, human behaviour is one, or if not, the most important variable to determine commodity prices in a competitive market. During the last decades, alternative methodologies have been used to study uncertainties in human, environmental and market behaviours. Chaos theory, fractals, artificial intelligence and econophysics have been widely and successfully used to investigate complex dynamic systems to address uncertainties over time in the fields of neurosciences, meteorology, aviation and market trading. The application of these techniques in the market suggests a more realistic approach to the business environment. Through the combination of the methodologies above a novel long-run price uncertainties simulation approach that emphasise the differences between risks and uncertainties is proposed in this paper. CITATION:Tapia Cortez, C, Saydam, S, Coulton, J and Sammut, C, 2015. Copper price uncertainties – chaos theory to manage risks in mining projects, in Proceedings Third International Future Mining Conference, pp 261–272 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 4, 2015

By Alla D. Mah

THERMODYNAMIC data for manganese and its inorganic compounds have not been critically surveyed since the work of Maier (31) 3 in 1934. At that time data were lacking or inadequate for many of the important metallurgical compounds. Experimental work, conducted during the intervening years, has supplied so many new thermodynamic values that it is again desirable to examine the available data and compile them into a single publication for handy reference. This paper consists of three main sections. The first summarizes the basic metallurgical thermodynamic data for manganese and its compounds, including heat capacities, entropies, heat contents, temperatures and heats of phase changes, vapor pressures, and heats and free energies of formation. All data available to May 1959 have been considered. The second section contains heats, free energies, equilibrium pressures, and equilibrium constants of reactions of manganese compounds, with special emphasis on metallurgical reactions. The third section supplies basic thermodynamic data for other elements and compounds encountered in metallurgical reactions of manganese, thus making it possible for the reader to conduct thermodynamic calculations without recourse to other literature.

Jan 1, 1960

By David A. Heitman

The Buick Concentrator is a highly automated operation which utilizes a process control system for continuous monitoring and control. The process control system development, installation, and application to the concentrator grinding and flotation circuits are presented in this paper. The design and implementation of analog field sensing instrumentation, a continuous on-stream X-ray analyzer, grinding and classfication circuit controls, and a recent digital process control system utilizing a centralized computer are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the project planning and installation of the digital control system including a presentation of future plans for continuing application of computer control.

Jan 1, 1982

By A. Miller, M. McNinch, R. Jacksha

Each year, hundreds of mine workers are involved in machinery-related accidents. Many of these accidents involve inadequate or improper use of lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures. To mitigate the occurrence of these accidents, new safety methods are needed to monitor access to hazardous areas around operating machinery, improve documentation/monitoring of maintenance that requires shutdown of the machinery, and prevent unexpected startup or movement during machine maintenance activities. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is currently researching the application of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to provide intelligent machine monitoring as part of a comprehensive LOTO program. This paper introduces NIOSH’s two-phase implementation of an IoT-based intelligent machine monitoring system.

By Ronald J. Riberich

The Mineral Economics and Management Society (MEMS) held its fifth annual conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada earlier this year. “The Minerals Industry: Responding to the Global Challenge” was the first MEMS conference to be held outside of the United States. About 125 mining- and minerals-related professionals attended. The MEMS program included six sessions and three distinguished speaker addresses. The session topics included: “Minerals in the Macro economy: Development in Demand,” “Trends in Global Metals Supply: The Producers’ Challenge,” “Global Environmental Issues: Policy Perspectives,” “Global Environmental Issues: Quantitative Analysis” and “Minerals in the CIS: Phoenix or Albatross?” A student session was also offered. It provided a competition for monetary awards for outstanding papers.

Jan 1, 1996

By T R. Meng, C Wu

After carrying out a brief review of the existing safety assessment criteria for the spontaneous detonation of explosives in the mining of sulphide ore deposits in China, and giving a detailed description of the dynamic process and mechanism of the spontaneous detonation of explosives and the relative factors, the latest research results of three kinds of explosives reacting with a group of sulphide ores are presented, based on a reliable experimental method. Afterwards, a complete safety criterion for spontaneous detonation assessment, which depends on the hole temperature, the water solution Fe2+ and Fe3+ and the pH value, is established to determine (he safe charging time of explosives in variable conditions. The criterion is verified as correct by a large-scale field test.

Jan 10, 1996

By J. R. Thoenen

In Progress Report 1,4/ a number of facto mere demonstrated and conclusions drawn from experimental tests and records made during commercial blasting operations at a number of quarries. For example, the tests showed (1) that vibrations received on outcrops were of comparatively

Jan 1, 1938

By JOHN A. FULTON

THE Comstock Lode is in Storey County, Nevada, and extends in a north and south direction through the towns of Virginia City and Gold Hill, with a total length of 4.27 miles. Its mines have produced silver and gold to a known value exceeding $400,- 000,000 since 1859, when the work first began. More than $126.000,000 was paid in dividends by the mining companies, although much more than this was probably realized from the ore, because many milling companies were independent companies owned by the directors and superintendents of the mines. The milling companies' contracts called for an extraction of only 65 per cent and, as much of the ore was worth $100 a ton and up- ward, they must have recovered substantial amounts for their own accounts over and above this guarantee. Gold was discovered in the spring of 1850 by a party of Normons bound for California. The discovery was made at the mouth of Gold canyon near Dayton, on the Carson River, about 10 miles south of Virginia City.

Jan 1, 1929

By N. R. MacMillan

INTRODUCTION The Bullmoose Coal Project is part of a major development in northeastern British Columbia which comprises a new rail line, a new townsite, powerline, highway, the upgrading of the Canadian National Railway's main line, a new coal port at Prince Rupert and two new coal mines, the Bullmoose mine and the Quintette mine. The total investment by all parties is estimated to be in excess of $2.6 billion and made up approximately as follows : [Table No. 1 $ Millions - Quintette Coal Limited 950 Teck-Bullmoose Coal Inc. 275 Canadian National Railway Company 800 6 British Columbia Railway Company Port at Prince Rupert 280 Townsite, Roads 6- Power ] The new infrastructure is intended to serve not only the Bullmoose and Quintette coal projects but also eventually a number of other coal properties in northeastern British Columbia. The Bullmoose project is structured on a joint venture basis as follows : [Table No. 2 Teck Corporation 51% Lornex Mining Corporation Ltd. 39% Nissho Iwai Coal Development 1 0% (Canada) Ltd. -- 100% ] The mine has a capacity of 2.3 million tonnes of clean coal per year. In the initial years 1.7 million tonnes will be metallurgical coal and 0.6 million tonnes thermal coal. After the first three years of operations the annual production of metallurgical coal will increase to an average of approximately 2.1 million tonnes and the production of thermal coal will decrease to an average of approximately 0.2 million tonnes. At this level of 2.3 million tonnes annual production, the Bullmoose mine has sufficient reserves for at least 26 years of production. History Brameda Resources Ltd. commenced coal exploration in the Bullmoose-Sukunka area in 1969. Teck obtained an option on the Bullmoose coal licences in 1970 and started surface exploration and diamond drilling in 1971. Teck earned a 50% interest in the property, and thereafter expenses were jointly financed by Teck and Brameda. In 1981 Brameda merged with Teck making Teck the sole owner. The initial phase of the exploration program, which was completed in 1975, included 7,200 meters of diamond drilling in 35 holes. During 1976 and 1977, detailed exploration and test work were carried out on the South Fork and West Fork areas where multiple seams close to surfaces indicated the potential for large tonnages of strippable coal. In those two years, work included road construction, detailed mapping and trenching to outline the coal seam traces at the surface, 6,300 meters of diamond drilling in 80 holes, and 300 meters of underground bulk sampling from seven adits. Washability tests and analysis work were carried out on the drill cores and adit samples, and pilot plant washability studies were undertaken. In 1978 and 1979 Teck engineers prepared open pit mining plans and production schedules and Kaiser Engineering was retained to prepare a layout of the plant preparation facility. A feasibility study prepared by Teck's engineering group in January 1982 was the base document used by the Lenders in assessing the technical and economic viability of the project. Property Location The property lies some 650 kilometers northeast of Vancouver, and 87 kilometers south by road from the village of Chetwynd. The Sukunka property (British Petroleum) adjoins to the north, the Mount Spieker property (Ranger Oil Option) adjoins to the east, and the Quintette property is located to the southeast.

Jan 1, 1985