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By K. J. Shoop

This study investigates the use of a horizontally-baffled column (7.6 cm inside diameter by 344.2 cm high) to reduce the ash content of a high ash bituminous coal. Tests were carried out to determine how the baffled column responded to changes in feed rate, reagent dosage, and feed quality, and to compare its performance with a conventional column installation in an operating plant. In this paper, the results of this investigation will be reviewed and discussed.

Jan 1, 1997

By William Gleason

From Nov. 16-20, the Extraction 2025 Conference will be presented in Phoenix, AZ. The unique conference brings together the 12th International Copper Conference, the 6th International Symposium on Nickel and Cobalt as well as cross-cutting symposia. Extraction 2025 is co-organized by The Metallurgy and Materials Society (MetSoc) of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) and The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS). The previous, and first Extraction meeting (Extraction 2018) was held jointly by these three societies seven years ago in Ottawa and was a huge success with more than 90 percent of respondents indicating interest in attending a future event. Kimberly Mills, senior process engineer at Samuel Engineering, is the lead for SME. “This installment of Extraction is featuring Copper 2025, Nickel-Cobalt 2025 as well as crosscutting symposia,” said Mills. “All three societies participate on the International Organizing Committee for the Copper Conference Series and are well situated to host this event together. TMS is also hosting the Ni-Co conference this year and agreed to include it as part of Extraction. There are many aspects that can be shared between these commodities to share information on processing technologies and to learn from each other.” SME is the overall conference chair and running the logistical aspects of the event, which includes managing all aspects of the venue and the registration system as well as tours and short courses, Mills said. “SME has many dedicated members serving in various capacities on organizing and programming committees, including Nick Gow serving as Technical Committee Co-Chair for Copper and Adam House assisting on the Copper IOC.” When Extraction 2025 kicks off, it will be focused on the metals needed for the global energy transition with a special focus on copper and nickel-cobalt. “With as rapidly as the industry is changing and the huge demands for these metals we have some serious challenges ahead of us,” Mills explained. “These challenges require collaboration, creative solutions and engaging experts, both inside and outside of our fields, with a push for sustainable sourcing, ethical supply chains, environmental and social responsibility.” The International Copper Conference was started in 1987 as a collaboration between the Institute of Mining Engineers of Chile (IIMCH) and MetSoc of the CIM. The event is typically held every four years and has always been held as a standalone or headlining event at a society annual meeting, said Mills. “Over the years, this conference series alone has brought together members of IIMCH, MetSoc, TMS, SME, the Society for Metallurgists and Miners from Germany (GDMB), the Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan (MMIJ), the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) and the Nonferrous Metals Society of China (NFSOC),” she added. “Being a part of Extraction allows for even more sharing of ideas and expansion of networking. This conference has not been held in the United

Oct 1, 2025

By M. Jessop, V. O. Kofoed, R. Blanchard, A. Hughes

Willowstick has successfully employed a new Seismic Acoustic Resonance (SAR) method to improve seepage characterization through, beneath, and around dams. SAR is a passive seismic method that detects zones of higher permeability in the foundation and fill materials of a dam. Just as the ocean has tides, the earth’s crust experiences daily “Earth Tides” and is constantly in motion. Continual motion produces resonance signals that can be measured, interpreted, and modeled to identify zones of higher permeability within a dam and its foundation. The SAR results are analyzed in conjunction with the traditional Willowstick Method to better characterize seepage flow paths and patterns trough, beneath, or around a dam in three dimensions. When both methodologies, which use entirely different scientific principles, identify the same anomalous feature, a higher degree of confidence is gained in the results of the investigation. Willowstick has effectively utilized the SAR method on many successful dam seepage investigations. The two geophysical techniques when used in parallel have yielded complimentary results, with both methods providing beneficial information about seepage locations. This paper will detail seepage flow paths identified using both Willowstick and SAR methods for two case study tailings dams in Canada and the United States.

Feb 1, 2023

By R. Bhaskar

The objective of the project was to optimize the ventilation parameters of a continuous miner underboom scrubber to further control. the amount of airborne dust discharged during mining, to further reduce the exposure of face personnel for an exhaust brattice ventilation system, and avoid recirculation of contaminants at the face. This research was performed in an underground coal mine in Utah. The tasks included preliminary face ventilation evaluation and optimization of the scrubber system to eliminate recirculation of the scrubber discharge air. Airflow tests were conducted on the currently used dust control system and the modified scrubber system. Tracer gas tests were performed to evaluate face ventilation effectiveness. Confirmatory tests of the scrubber system under actual operating conditions, modifications to the scrubber system, and a comparative evaluation of the scrubber system vs. the existing system were performed. This paper presents the results of the airflow pattern tests and the respirable dust levels in the modified scrubber system and the existing system. The optimized face ventilation parameters and the developed operating guidelines may provide the benefits of dust reduction, better face ventilation, and improved visibility.

Jan 1, 1994

By I. Sanchez

The development of the recent generation of large mining projects in South America has been challenging in many ways, but especially in the management of water in all its aspects. As a result, a number of projects have experienced difficulties and in some cases significant delays due to a lack of a clear and approved definition of the supply, use and discharge of water from mining and processing sites. The development of the recent generation of large mining projects in South America has been challenging in many ways, but especially in the management of water in all its aspects. As a result, a number of projects have experienced difficulties and in some cases significant delays due to a lack of a clear and approved definition of the supply, use and discharge of water from mining and processing sites.

Feb 23, 2014

By R. R. Cellan

There have not been many opportunities to date for comparison between laboratory and commercial neutralization rinse data. Homestake Mining Company's Santa Fe project is one such comparison. This paper discusses laboratory procedures and results from a 100' leach pad height simulation column neutralization rinse test and compares principal data with that achieved in actual commercial leach pad neutralization rinsing procedures. Principal comparisons include the rate of WAD cyanide neutralization, decrease in effluent pH, stabilization of dissolved silver and copper, and the quantity of dissolved gold recovered during rinsing.

Jan 1, 1996

By Reece Kurre, Gabriel Walton

"Roof bolting has long been used in underground mines across the world to provide ground support. Modern roof bolts are cheap and easy to install with the use of specialized machines as a part of the production cycle. Lhoist North America’s Crab Orchard Mine is an underground room and pillar limestone mine that uses mechanically anchored roof bolts for ground support. The mine currently employs two different roof bolting patterns: a standard 5 × 5 foot pattern, and a 2.5 × 2.5 foot pattern for use in areas with particularly hazardous roof conditions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relative effectiveness of each bolting pattern.A series of numerical models were created using RocScience’s RS2. The models were based on a symmetrical section of the mine at its deepest point, and were modeled using Generalized Hoek-Brown failure criterion along with a discrete fracture network. A series of sensitivity analyses were performed on the models by varying parameters such as joint friction angle, crack persistence, joint randomization, and tensile strength of the limestone. Based on the results of the original models and sensitivity analyses, it appears that the standard bolting pattern provides sufficient roof support capacity under almost all the expected conditions at the mine, since factors of safety below the design value of 1.5 were only found for individual bolts in a few of the worst test cases considered. These results can help improve the Mine’s productivity and reduce operating costs without compromising safety.INTRODUCTION AND CASE STUDY DESCRIPTIONLhoist North America’s Crab Orchard Mine is an underground limestone mine located in Crab Orchard, Tennessee. The mine is located under an 800-foot-high mountain, and outcrops on three sides. The mine is accessed through three separate portals and has two main levels, along with a partially developed third level. Extraction is accomplished by the room and pillar method using 50 × 50 feet pillars and 50 × 50 feet rooms. The mining height is limited to 50 feet to keep the pillar width to height ratio around 1.0. Each heading is excavated in a two-stage process that consists of a 30-foot-tall top heading and a 20-foot-tall bench. A distance of at least 30 feet is maintained between the two levels at all times (Crab Orchard Mine Technical Staff, 2017)."

Jan 1, 2019

By V. I. Lakshmanan

Crystalline Flake Graphite is a strategic mineral. Since 1954 nearly all North American consumption has been imported from offshore. The Bouthillier Project in Quebec, Canada, is Orrwell Energy's bid to enter the market. Milling of flake graphite is considered easy, yet more problems have been encountered in flowsheet and plant design than in most other minerals. A fresh approach to existing technology was taken, giving results that are highly satisfactory. The key to graphite liberation without flake deterioration is found to be in autogenous grinding. In addition to producing marketable coarse graphite by such autogenous grinding, flotation and tabling, super purity fines can be produced using repeated regrinding, elutriation and flotation. This paper discusses the design of a 500 TPD plant based upon the results obtained from bench and pilot plant studies.

Jan 1, 1984

By F. Habashi

The Republic of South Africa is a heterogeneous mixture of Black Africans, Afrikaans, British, Indians, Malayans, French Huguenots, and many others from Europe and Asia. A decisive date in its recent history is the collapse of the Apartheid Regime in 1994. For a metallurgist, South Africa is the country of diamonds, gold, platinum, and many other metals. In 1887 Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) was able to take control of the De Beers Mining Company after the discovery of diamonds at Kimberly in 1866. It was there where the so-called School of Mines was inaugurated in 1896.

Jan 1, 2010

By J. D. McKay

Flotation columns have been readily accepted for use in most sulfide flotation plants; however, recently columns are being used in many other areas. Recent improvements in design methodologies have overcome many operating problems and led to improvements in metallurgy. In addition, physical improvements in column design have simplified their operation while leading to better control. The Turbo-Air External Bubble Generator has provided a method for bubble size control and variation in air holdup and carrying capacity. These have enabled commercial operations to improve grades and recoveries by optimizing performance.

Jan 1, 1990

By Z. Scopa, E. Tarshizi, R. Setterlind, L. Frost, R. Livernois

"THE MINES OF THE FUTURE The mines of the future present a host of challenges, which may appear exciting or daunting depending on one’s perspective. Whether some sectors of the public recognize it or not, the demand for raw resources is not going away any time soon. In fact, it is rising as global population grows, urbanizes and attempts to steadily increase quality of life. Yes, at the same time that much of the highly developed world is calling for greener goods, reduced consumption, and cleaner production, in other areas there are cries for clean water and sanitation, consistent energy supply, access to health care and education, personal security, and support for basic human rights. The balancing act for sustainable development of our global society is indeed precarious, and the mining community is necessarily a key player. Fortunately, many industry members have accepted this role and the responsibility to provide leadership and a solid foundation for progress. Looking ahead, we need new generations of leaders, many of whom will be mine engineers, which are ready to tackle all sorts of complex problems. There are tremendous needs just for technological innovations. Increasingly tough deposits will require that we continue to expand scale toward “super” pits and “deep” underground mining fully develop unconventional recovery techniques like in-situ leaching and gasification or deep-sea extraction, and seriously consider off-earth endeavors. Such work will take entirely autonomous equipment; novel separations, processing and recycling methods; and systems that can withstand extreme physical conditions – just to name a few. It will also take a level of systems integration never-before seen in our field, complete with big data issues, sophisticated analytics and modeling efforts, and cyber-security challenges. Moreover, increasingly complex environmental problems will require creative solutions. Addressing issues like pollution control across multiple media, emerging contaminants, optimal management of wastes, selective mining, and shared use of resources between mine operations and surrounding communities and ecosystems are among top priorities. Really, a complete paradigm shift must occur, such that our focus is on overall improvement of environmental conditions, rather than minimization of impacts. A similar shift will be required in the social realm. How can we make miners safer and healthier on-site and off? How can we contribute to communities such that they are better off, now and long-term, for having a mine next door? How can we help transform artisanal mining practices to also contribute to sustainable development? How can our work be a factor in increasing economic and political stability? How can we improve the public understanding of raw resources and the need for mining enterprises?"

Jan 1, 2017

"Cast blasting is the primary means of overburden displacement in a surface coal mine. It serves two purposes; fragmenting the rock and throwing it directly to its spoil pile using explosive energy. Increased throw minimizes costs by reducing the amount of material that needs to be re-handled. Prior studies have shown that by only changing blast hole timing with the same blast design, fragmentation and throw alters. It is necessary in cast blasting to optimize both fragmentation and throw, since larger fragments will require more wasted energy to throw the same distance. In an operating mine in Georgia, an optimum inter-hole delay for fragmentation has been found by studying timings from 0ms to 45ms. Instantaneous timing between holes increased the throw by over 100 ft, but fragmentation was poor. Shock and detonation wave collision is a potential reason for this increased throw. This paper investigates this optimized inter-hole timing while altering top and bottom column primer time to potentially improve throw while maintaining optimum fragmentation. Timings studied are top initiation, bottom initiation, and top and bottom simultaneously. INTRODUCTION Explosives are utilized extensively by the mining industry in order to break rock, as either ore or overburden, for hauling, loading, and crushing. An effective production blast strives to achieve optimum rock fragmentation in order to increase the efficiency and reduce the costs of those downstream operations, while simultaneously meeting environmental regulations. The goal of blasting with respect to fragmentation is, according to Hettinger (2015), “to decrease the average particle size of the fragmented rock without overly increasing fines or, in other words, improve fragmentation.” Additionally, the distance the rock is transported by the explosive energy from the blast, also known as throw, can increase efficiency by reducing the amount of material that is re-handled by mine equipment. The primary situation in which this is desirable is the cast blasting of overburden across the narrow pit of a surface coal mine. A key variable in a blast design pattern that can be manipulated to optimize both fragmentation and throw is delay timing between detonations. The invention and increased utilization of electronic detonators has allowed for precise delay timings to be used between rows, holes, and even multiple primers within the same hole. These recent developments in the blasting community have also provided an opportunity to investigate whether or not the mechanism of shock or detonation wave collisions caused by short timing delays are responsible for any increased fragmentation or throw. This experiment attempts to demonstrate if an increase in throw can be achieved while maintaining optimum fragmentation. This study consisted of 3 full scale bench blasts at a granite quarry in Talbotton, GA. Each blast was characterized by the timing delay between the top and bottom primer in the blast column of each hole; one simultaneous blast with a 0 ms delay, a bottom-initiated blast with a 1 ms delay, and a top-initiated blast with a 1 ms delay. Fragmentation analysis of the resultant muckpiles was performed using a combination of the PortaMetrics handheld point-and-shoot rugged tablet from Motion Metrics and the software WipFrag from WipWare. Throw was measured by placing strategic distance markers on the floor of the bench and then taking overhead photographs of the muckpiles after each blast. High-speed video footage was captured of each blast using an MREL Blaster’s Ranger II camera."

Jan 1, 2017

By W. Blake, J. Whyatt

Sixty years of rock bursting in the Coeur d'Alene district has taught painful lessons and led to a number of practical advances in controlling rock-burst hazards. This paper summarizes these lessons, concentrating on practical measures that have been successfully adopted to reduce hazards. These lessons are explained in the context of district mining history and current understanding of rock-burst phenomena. Overall, the paper provides the practicing mine engineer with an appreciation of rock-burst hazards and an overview of practical measures that can be used to control these hazards in the context of Coeur d'Alene district experience.

Jan 1, 2003

By R. Gorakhki, R. Stafford, A. Jung

Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) have been used widely as an alternative for compacted clay liners and covers in mine waste applications. The high swelling of bentonite particles in the GCL creates a uniform barrier layer that results in low permeability of water and mine waste leachate. GCLs must provide sufficient internal and interface shear strength stability, especially if GCLs are used in steep slopes under high normal loads. Peel strength is a common parameter that is typically correlated to internal shear strength properties of GCLs. The relationship between internal shear strength and peel strength of GCL at normal stresses of 287, 575, 862, and 1724 kPa is evaluated in this study. The data in this study was compared with the peel strength-internal shear strength relationships found in literature. The study concludes that the relationship between peel strength and internal shear strength is unique based on manufacturing, needle-punching density and the method with and without heat treatment of the geotextile end fiber bundles.

Feb 1, 2023

By F. M. Stephens

This paper is to be presented at the annual meeting of the American institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, San Francisco, February 1959. Permission is hereby given to publish with appropriate acknowledgements, excerpts or summaries not to exceed one-fourth of the entire text of the paper. Permission to print in more extended form subsequent to publication by the Institute must be obtained from the secretary of the Institute. If and when this paper is published by the Institute, it may embody certain changes made by agreement between the Technical Publications Committee and the authors, so that the form in which it appears here is not necessarily that in which it may be published later.

Jan 1, 1959

By C. Sun

The Leeville underground mine has been in operation since 2006 and currently produces 2,903 t (3,200 st) of ore per day, with an average gold grade of 0.4 opt. The mine’s horizontal extent is large, 762 by 152 m (2,500 by 500 ft), while its vertical extent is 6 to 61 m (20 to 200 ft). A high density of joints occurs within the host rock. Based on rock mass rating and field observation, the ground conditions at Leeville can be characterized as poor to very poor. As such, heavy ground support is required for its mining operation. Ore zones with a height in excess of 10 m (35 ft) are considered for longhole stoping. A typical stope measures 6 m (20 ft) wide, 30 to 55 m (100 to 180 ft) long, depending on the ground conditions, and 10 to 30 m (35 to 100 ft) high, depending the thickness of the ore body, yielding 9,100 to 18,000 t (10,000 to 20,000 st) when completed. Narrow ore zones, less than 10 m (35 ft), are mined using cut and fill. Drifts at the Leeville Mine are 4.6 m (15 ft) wide by 4.6 m (15 ft) high. Because of poor ground conditions at this mine, the establishment of a ground control monitoring system is key to operating both safely and successfully. This monitoring system is composed of comprehensive instrument design and installation. Instruments include multi-point borehole extensometers (MPBX) and “stretch measurement to assess reinforcement tension” (SMART) cables. The monitoring system covers the mining zones and infrastructure openings. After about two years’ application and measurement, useful data has been collected and continues to be collected; this information will be used to design future stopes and infrastructure. The system makes engineering and operation teams able to do their job with more confidence and efficiency.

Jan 1, 2009

By W. C. Hirt

Selective flocculation was used to produce superclean zinc concentrate with minimized silica contamination. Research was carried out on a flotation concentrate from the Jersey Miniere Zinc Company (JMZ) in Gordonsville, Tennessee. The material was first dispersed with sodium silicate and then causticized tapioca starch was used to selectively flocculate the sphalerite, leaving the silica in suspension. This technique has been applied commercially to iron ore beneficiation but has never been used for processing zinc. The feed material assayed 0.45% Si02. Use of 0.56 kg/tonne (1.13 lb/st) of sodium silicate and 0.070 kg/tonne (0.141 lb/st) of causticized tapioca starch resulted in 98.2% zinc recovery in a purified zinc concentrate assaying 66.0% Zn and 0.24% silica. The present target level for silica contamination in JMZ zinc concentrates is 0.3% Si02. This work has shown that selective flocculation offers a potential method for cleaning flotation concentrates, particularly where low silica products are required.

Jan 1, 1993

By R. R. Klimpel

The grinding of coal-water slurries has received increasing industrial attention during the last decade. In particular, there is long-term interest in the use of pulverized coal-water slurries to replace oil in combustion equipment and the development of coal gasification/liquefaction processes which require coal-water slurries as feed. More specifically, the use of coal-water slurries in gasification requires grinding a high density slurry containing the smallest amount of water consistent with slurry pumping and spraying. As part of a fundamental engineering research support program aimed at the industrial implementation of dense coal-water slurry grinding, this author has published several papers on how specific rates of breakage vary as a function of slurry rheology, Klimpel (1982, 1982/83). These papers demonstrated that there is a consistent pattern of change in specific rates of breakage of coal in dense slurries with controlled variations in slurry rheology. By matching rheological data with laboratory grinding results, it was possible to identify directly slurry conditions that correspond to: (1) slowing down of breakage rates, (2) the occasional acceleration of breakage of some sizes, and (3) conditions where chemical additives will increase rates of breakage.

Jan 1, 1990

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

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

Feb 1, 2024

By T. Wohlford

Due to the increases available base of scientific knowledge, increased independent review required by worldwide security exchanges, and the need for accuracy in characterizing mine water resources, it has become necessary to produce a more accurate hydrologic balance. This presentation provides a critical review of the steps and tools to compile a complete hydrologic review of a mine property. The forces of regulation, increased scientific analysis, better tools, and stakeholder expectations have created a perfect storm of accuracy demand. Ausenco has developed protocol to achieve the desired end.

Feb 23, 2014