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By B. K. Mishra, A. Datta

Estimating the power draw of a ball mill is of great importance from both operational and control standpoints. There are many factors that affect the power draw, and its prediction is particularly difficult in an operating plant. The important factors that affect power draw are the mill dimensions and operating parameters. Although mill dimensions remain the same for any given mill, the operational factors, such as ball load, mill filling and mill speed, may vary. This makes the modeling effort extremely cumbersome. It is for this reason that an artificial neural network is considered for the development of a black-box-type model to predict power draw. In this work, a total of 48 sets of plant data are used. Using these data, a neural network is built and trained. The trained network is used to predict power that is found to be in good agreement with operating mill power for many situations. In addition, the results of simulations are also com- pared to those obtained from a discrete-element method- based power-draw model.

Jan 1, 2000

The first part describes a model (the C model) based on the motion of the grinding charge. The charge is treated as a continuum, which allows analytical solutions to the equations that are developed. The C model is equally applicable to ball-, semi-autogenous and autogenous mills and contains a description of the power draw of both the cylindrical section and the cone-ends. Differences between the power draw of grate- and overflow-discharge mills are described from consideration of the different shapes and compositions of their charges. A large database of industrial mill data is used to demonstrate the accuracy of the model. Part 2 describes a simpler, empirical model (the E model) whose performance is based on that of the C model. The same database was used to assess the predictive capabilities of the E model. The model was shown to be only slightly less accurate than the C model despite its much simpler structure

Jun 18, 1905

By A. R. MacPherson

The procedure to arrive at an energy efficient autogenous grinding plant is carried out in the following steps: First Step - Determine power requirements to grind a particular ore. This work carried out on small samples ground in a 450 mm diameter Aerofall Hill and the results are checked against a standard Bond Index test. Second Step - A bulk sample from the ore zone is ground in a 1.8 m diameter pilot mill. This work is carried on until the power objectives as indicated from the first step have been realized. Third Step - Correlate the pilot mill data, with the data from the numerous samples ground in the small 450 mm mill and arrive at design criteria for the commercial plant. Ensure commercial mill design will be suitable to obtain similar results as those obtained in the pilot mill.

Jan 1, 1981

By Frederick C. Pearson, Albert Brown, Emil R. Ermert

EARLY in 1946 the Shen-Penn Production Co., a subsidiary of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Co., was organized to operate the Shenandoah Stripping, one of the largest open-pit anthracite mines in the world. This mine is located in the Western Middle Field near Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, Pa., and involves the removal of approximately 60,400,000 cu yd of overburden to permit the recovery of 9,200,000 gross tons of rough cleaned coal from an area 8000 ft long and 2700 ft wide, with a maximum depth of 400 ft. Operations began in August 1946, and within the next few years 31,811,000 cu yd of overburden and 2,994,000 gross tons of rough cleaned coal had been removed. During the early days of open-pit mining operations, steam was the primary motive power. However, as the size of the equipment increased, so did the problems of fuel, water, labor, and maintenance. Because of its efficiency and convenience, electric power rapidly replaced steam. Later the modern diesel engine was developed, and today practically all stripping equipment is either electric, diesel-electric, or diesel-powered. In locations where electric power is not readily available or where operations are scattered over a large area, diesel power is favored. At Shenandoah operations are highly concentrated in a relatively small area, and this fact, coupled with the availability of ample electric energy, indicated the selection of electric-powered equipment. Since this was a new company, it was necessary to purchase every item, from the smallest tools to stripping shovels. Although the organization period was hampered by the postwar scarcity of materials, an excellent opportunity was afforded to set up a thoroughly modern plant. This paper will describe the power facilities, with particular emphasis on the more unusual features. The substation is a major item in a power distribution system, and a simple arrangement utilizing high quality equipment is an excellent investment. With this in mind, a 3000-kva unit type substation was selected and installed. This unit is made up of three sections, which are assembled simply by bolting together the various sections and connecting the power leads, see Fig. 1. The transformer proper, rated at 3000 kva, is oil-filled and nitrogen-sealed, having a 66,000-v Delta primary and 4160-v Wye secondary with a grounded neutral and 46-ohm ground resistor. The function of this resistor will be described later. Electrical energy is purchased from a public utility and is delivered to the main substation at 66,000 v over one or the other of two incoming lines. These lines terminate on a high voltage switching section on which high voltage fuses and Thyrite lightning arresters are installed. The outgoing feeder switching unit is made up of the following: 1-An auxiliary compartment consisting of potential and current transformers with necessary terminal blocks for connecting to power company metering equipment. 2-Another auxiliary compartment containing a control transformer, battery, and battery charger for the furnishing of power for tripping and reclosing of power circuit breakers. The assemblies in these auxiliary compartments are mounted on carriages that can be rolled in and out with ease. Potential transformers are readily accessible for inspection and fuse replacement. When withdrawn from the operating position they are completely de-energized and grounded. 3-Two feeder breaker compartments, each with a 1200-amp, 5000-v, solenoid-operated magneblast air circuit breaker, voltmeter, ammeter, overcurrent relays, and a ground relay. These power circuit breakers can be quickly and safely withdrawn or repaired. A built-in isolating mechanism is used for lowering the breaker to a transfer truck for repair or inspection or as a means of disconnecting the breaker from the source of power as an added precaution when working on power lines. Thus inspec-

Jan 1, 1952

By Jean-Luc Beaudoin

"In addition to the actual energy consumed, billing is dependent on the peak load and the power factor. The lower the power factor goes, the higher will be the penalty the consumer pays. The principles of a power factor regulator, the two ways of improving the power factor and methods for calculating the capacitor values required will be described.The rate structure of the utility company is founded on three cornerstones: the energy consumed during a given period of time and two penalties imposed when the power factor is low or the power demand is high. Even though the normal consumption of a customer might be 10 kW, with a peak demand of 20 kW only once a month, the wiring and associated equipment at the input to the customer's plant will have to accommodate this peak demand. The power company has no means of forecasting these demands and cannot therefore provide the additional equipment necessary. So it exacts a penalty, and the customer must take all possible steps to avoid these peak power demands. This can be accomplished by using an automatic peak load regulator which will selectively disconnect the loads which are not essential in the operation of a plant .The principles of such a controller will be described.Principles of power factor regulatorsThe operating principles of a power factor regulator will now be described. It might be asked why the power factor of an electrical installation in a mine, or a factory, should be corrected at all, but there is a simple answer. In addition to the actual energy consumed, the billing is dependent on the peak load and the power factor. The lower the power factor goes, the higher will be the penalty the consumer pays."

Jan 1, 1982

By AIME

Annual production of more than 4,000,000 tons of 0.74 percent copper ore and coincident handling of over 5,000,000 tons of waste at the open-pit mine of Castle Dome Copper Co. near Miami, Ariz. takes a lot of power. Manufacturers have ever co-operated with mining companies in providing the required equipment to suit the problem. Power equipment suppliers have done much to make possible the economic and profitable production of copper from low-grade ores. In the future, as mining operations will necessarily handle even lower-grade ores, the ability of the manufacturer to supply the power and mechanical equipment to produce more metal at a fair and reasonable price will be the good right arm of the miner. About 27,000 tons of concentrate is produced from the 4,000,000 tons of ore.

Jan 1, 1948

By M. M. Williams

ALBERTA has been generously endowed with oil, natural gas, coal and water power, thus giving power producers a wide choice in the type of plant and fuel which can be used. Therefore, with such a variety of energy sources to choose from, why was coal selected as the primary fuel at Calgary Power's Wabamun steam plant? This part of the paper will cover the circumstances that led the Company to decide in favour of coal. The second part, to be presented by C. F. Doerr, will describe how the Wabamun coal mine has been developed to supply the large fuel requirements of the power plant. Before considering the Wabamun plant, we require a general under-standing of? the Company's electric system and load. Power is fed into a 5,100-mile high-voltage transmission grid from eleven hydroelectric plants and from the Wabamun steam electric plant. These plants have a combined generating capacity of 820,000 horse-power. Of this total, the hydro

Jan 1, 1963

By Michael F. Gleason

In 1986, Gold Fields began negotiations with a large Nevada electrical power utility to supply power for its Chimney Creek Mine In northern Nevada. After the long negotiations reached an impass over various costs associated with the power line, a decision was made by Gold Fields to generate its own power. Self-generation is not uncommon overseas, but it is rare for any but very large or very small operations in the United States. Surprisingly, under certain conditions a mine can generate its own power profitably and Gold Fields has found that the associated operating and maintenance problems are minimal. The following report details what factors went into this decision and how it works. Hopefully, it can serve as a guideline for those who may find themselves in a similar position.

Jan 1, 1990

By M. F. Gleason, S. Burns, J. R. Arnold

In 1986, Gold Fields began negotiations with a large Nevada electrical power utility to supply power for its Chimney Creek mine in northern Nevada. After the long negotiations reached an impasse over various costs associated with the power line, a decision was made by Gold Fields to generate its own power. Self-generation is not uncommon overseas, but it is rare for any but very large or very small operations in the United States. Surprisingly, under certain conditions a mine can generate its own power profitably, and Gold Fields has found that the associated operating and maintenance problems are minimal. The following report details what factors went into this decision and how it works. Hopefully, it can serve as a guideline for those who may find themselves in a similar position. History In the spring of 1986, Davy McKee Corp. was contracted by Gold Fields Mining Corp. to provide design engineering and construction management for the chimney Creek Mine. Chimney Creek is located about 50 mi northeast of Winnemucca, NV in a remote part of Humboldt County. The nearest industry using utility power was the Pinson Mine, about 13 mi from the proposed plant site. The existing electric line was not capable of carrying another mine the size of Chimney Creek, which required 29 million kwh per year. There were three options available to Gold Fields for the power supply: 1 )Power could be supplied by the public utility from a coal-fired plant about 30 mi away by constructing a new line to the mine,

Jan 1, 1991

By Xin Zhang, Xu Zhang, Hao Bai, Ning Li

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is an effective technology for low-grade waste heat power generation. In this paper, the thermal-dynamic performance of ORC system, in which low-temperature waste heat (from 40-140oC) is used as heat source, was evaluated with software RefProp8.0. The result indicates that in the range of low temperature, the working fluids like R601, R601a, R600a, R141b, R245fa and R245ca have better thermal performance. Furthermore, pilot-scale experiment using R245fa as working fluid was conducted, which validated the operation of the system for low-grade waste heat recovery. Finally, the economic feasibility of ORC has been analyzed for an ORC system using the waste heat from quenching water of blast furnace slag (80oC). According to the analysis, the project is reasonable in economy because the recovery period of investment is less than 4.2 years and environment-friendly since the CO2 emissions can be reduced by almost 43650.68t annually.

Jan 1, 2016

By Callinan AN

Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited have recently commissioned a 14 Megawatt power station adjacent to its underground coal mining operation at Appin NSW. The power station is fuelled by methane gas extracted from the coal seams 500 metres below the surface. The methane is compressed and cooled prior to its injection into the combustor of a single shaft gas turbine. The turbine is coupled through a reduction gearbox to an alternator. There is sufficient power generated to cover colliery load, with any excess being exported to Prospect County Council, which is the supply authority for the south western region of Sydney.

Jan 1, 1987

By Charles Means

A THOROUGHLY modern coal-handling system has been installed at the Pittsburgh Terminal R. R. & Coal Co.'s new No. 8 shaft, or Coverdale mine, about 11 mi. (17.7 km.) from Pittsburgh on a spur f the Montour R. R. The Pittsburgh seam, which is the one worked, is reached at a depth of 342 ft. (104 m.). Power is delivered to the mine at 22,000 volts over a transmission line of the bow-arrow type of construction. A private telephone line connecting the various mines and the main office in Pittsburgh is carried on the same poles. The high-tension line is brought to an outdoor, step-down, transformer substation, where three 833-kv.-a., single-phase, 60-cycle, oil-insulated, self-cooled transformers reduce the potential to 2300 volts. The transformers are protected by electrolytic, aluminum-cell lightning arresters, horn gaps, and choke coils. High and low-tension busses, together with fuses, choke coils and air-break horn-gap switches with their remote-control operating mechanism are mounted on a substantial structural-steel tower 25 ft. (7.6 m.) in height. MINE SUBSTATION The transformer substation is adjacent to a pressed-brick building that houses direct-current substation equipment together with switchboards, etc., for the control and distribution of power. This building also contains the hoist for the men and supplies.

Jan 9, 1921

By Thomas V. Falkie

These are exciting times for the coal mining community. Although the industry is in the middle of a healthy boom, there are strong forces tending to counteract or at least temper the rate of growth. There are many pushing and pulling factors of interest to mining people, and a few salient ones will be mentioned here. Primarily because of a tremendous demand for energy, a demand that can't be met by other fuels, the coal industry is in boomsville. Another contributing factor to this situation is the increased overseas demand for metallurgical coal. These demands are being counteracted by a lack of people, the lead-time required to develop new capacity and wildcat strikes, among other things.

Jan 1, 1971

By Thomas V. Falkie, Robert Stefanko

Higher education is in serious trouble in the United States. With increasing costs threatening to create a taxpayer's revolt, serious thought must be given to determining whether or not we can continue to afford our present educational policies. Disinterested students with little aptitude are pushed into over- crowded universities by well-meaning parents, but they lack real objectives beyond achieving that great status symbol-the degree. Advanced degrees are heaped upon the baccalaureate degree, and the pursuit of the pure and social sciences continues at the expense of engineering and technology.

Jan 1, 1971

By Thomas V. Falkie, Robert Stefanko

Previous articles in this column have defined the manpower situation as it. applies to the coal industry. There is at present a shortage of experienced managers, mining engineers, technicians and skilled workers. The extent of this shortage is controversial, but it is sufficiently important to have received the serious attention of coal industry people at all levels. It has also been discussed by union officials, educators, government agencies and trade publications as well as other communications media. Discussion is not enough, however. A plan of action is needed. Some suggestions for such a plan are presented here. First, the coal industry must interest itself in government training programs. The U.S. Government (primarily the Bureau of Mines and HEW) is planning to spend or is spending millions of dollars to educate and train technicians, inspectors, engineers and miners. The new Federal Health and Safety Academy at Beckley, W. Va., for example, will involve an expenditure of $20-30 million for the physical plant alone. There are encouraging signs that the present hierarchy in the Bureau of Mines intends to seek the advice of mining educators on some of these projects, but industry should also demand a voice in the policy to be followed in making these expenditures.

Jan 1, 1971

By Thomas V. Falkie, Robert Stefanko

Recently The Wall Street Journal featured a series of articles titled "The Dirty Work-Brutal, Mindless Labor Remains a Daily Reality for Millions in The US.-Mining Coal, Shoveling Slag, Gutting Hogs Pays Bills But Can Drain Spirit, Hope." The article was devoted to describing how tough and dangerous is mining (and some other jobs) and how rough life is for miners and their families. Similarly during the past few years some psychiatrists and sociologists have devoted increased attention to the attitudes and life styles of miners. Unfortunately most of their approaches have been neither scientific nor objective, and very little good clinical research has been done on the subject.

Jan 1, 1971

By T. V. Falkie, Robert Stefanko

Coal Mine Health and Safety Act in December 1969, the most comprehensive law in the history of the coal mining industry went into effect. Hardly anyone will quarrel with the philosophy that all miners in the United States should be afforded equal protection under the law irrespective of the state in which they reside. Furthermore, it appears contrary to any sound judgment that a competitive advantage should appear to accrue to a mine operator because his operations are located in a state with less stringent (and costly) health and safety laws Yet it is recognized that the quality of state mine laws and inspection agencies has been extremely variable. Why, then, should there be such resentments over the passage of the Act? The Act was written In the highly emotionally charged atmosphere following the Consol No. 9 disaster: the technical expertise within the industry was discredited and largely ignored; and those directly involved in the writing of the Act were non- technical and largely nonmining people. The result was that the law incorporated certain requirements that were impossible to meet (automatic brakes are the classical example) and certain parts that were too ambiguous and consequently open to interpretation.

Jan 1, 1971

By T. V. Falkie, Robert Stefanko

Much criticism has been directed at the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 from many sources, but few specific charges have been leveled, at least publicly. Yet, if the criticism is truly valid and can ever hope to become constructive, the issues must be approached head on. Therefore, the authors consider this an initial article and invite responses from others for contributions in subsequent issues. Dialogue is today's popular term and perhaps many of the problems associated with the implementation of the Act are the lack of communication between interested parties. There are two criticisms generally made concerning the philosophical approaches taken in the Act. The first is that there is an over-kill in some of the legislation, some provisions are not justified based on past accident history and economic considerations. Generally speaking in this category, no order of priority was considered consistent with safety and economy. The second category includes those situations where new provisions were imposed to improve safety in one area without adequately considering the consequences in another area, let alone the economics of the situation. While the authors do not always agree with the placement of items in these two categories by some industrial representatives, they will give specific examples that they believe may have a certain degree of validity.

Jan 1, 1971

By Thomas V. Falkie, Robert Stefanko

Much has been said and written recently about the manpower problem in the mining industry. The coal segment of the industry has been scrambling to staff and man its companies and operations in order to accommodate the current boom, and there are some interesting side- lights and developments which deserve further attention from coal mining people. This column will deal with the manpower problem in general and the plight of the professional-the mining engineer-in particular. At this point in the game, it is desirable and perhaps necessary to ask ourselves if there really is a manpower problem and, if so, how serious it is. Suprisingly, there are varying and conflicting answers to this question. If we are talking about warm bodies, then in most mining areas there is no problem. If, however, we are talking about skilled or trained people-at all levels-there are apparently serious shortages, especially in the coal industry and in the U. S. Bureau of Mines. To define quantitatively the present and future need for mining professionals is a formidable task, to say the least. Without pretending that these figures are anything but an educated guess, we feel there is an immediate need for about 1000 mining engineers right now and a continuing need for about 300 mining school graduates per year (double last year's number) for the next ten years in order to take up the slack, provide for attrition and maintain a normal growth rate. Mining companies, large and small, are just now beginning to realize that the industry is undergoing a revolution, It is no longer possible to design, build and operate coal mines by the "seat of the pants." Production demands, the new health and safety law and the inevitable new legislation on surface mining will require more engineering, more planning and new technology. There are mine operators who need mining engineers and don't even know that they need them. This could mean rough going for the small operator. It surely means that there will be a trend toward increasing the ratio of technical to nontechnical employees and the ratio of technical employees to dollars of capital towards levels comparable with other highly mechanized industries.

Jan 1, 1971

By Arthur Green

A GROUP of 13 cities situated in Los Angeles and Orange counties in Southern California is engaged in constructing an aqueduct to carry water from the Colorado River at a point near Parker, Arizona, to a distribution point sear Riverside, California. The aqueduct will have a total length of approximately 241 miles, and is designed to deliver 1605 cu. ft. of water per second, or a little more than one billion gallons per day. The aqueduct crosses a barren, desert waste and the project includes approximately 91 miles of 16-ft. tunnel. The large amount of tunnel driving that has been done in this country in the past few years has resulted in some remarkable developments in equipment and methods. The building of the Colorado River Aqueduct, with its 91 miles of tunnels, has called on the best engineering knowledge in the country. New and better equipment has been designed for all phases of the work, and this equipment has been coordinated and adapted to the various conditions with a high degree of efficiency. The result has been that records for tunnel driving have been set under adverse natural conditions that exceed the estimates for progress under good conditions. All of the tunnels in the main aqueduct, except the Valverde and Bernasconi at the western end, have a finished diameter, inside the concrete lining, of 16 ft. Fig. 4 shows a section of the tunnel with the concrete lining in place. Fig. 5 illustrates the finished tunnel in three typical sections. The standard tunnel grade is 3.432 ft. per mile in the 16-ft. tunnels, but the Valverde and Bernasconi tunnels have a steeper grade and a finished diameter of 15 ft. 3 in. The rough bore of the large main aqueduct tunnels averages 12.95 solid cubic yards of material per foot of advance in timbered sections and 10.76 solid cubic yards per foot in unsupported sections.

Jan 1, 1936