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By S. A. Davis

In July of 1996, the Kroll process began production again at TIMET's Henderson, NV, manufacturing facility. This, after being shut down for several years due to low market demand for titanium. Faced with limited pond capacity and increasing costs for water and wastewater disposal and storage; process changes were made to recycle water used to wash Kroll titanium sponge back into the sponge leaching process. This idea was revisited from 1992-93, when three consecutive attempts to recycle water for this application were unsuccessful due to early pump failure. Since it was uncertain why previous attempts failed, a complete understanding of the existing system was first sought. This included reviewing piping and flow diagrams; taking field measurements for all the piping, valves, and fittings; analyzing the wastewater composition; and modeling the fluid dynamics and control of the system. The fluid dynamics of the system were modeled by breaking the piping network up into nodes and applying the Bernoulli equation to each segment. The fluid flowrate control valves were modeled for this purpose also and the models were used to help specify the required processing equipment and control ranges and tolerances. Once the project was completed, an operating procedure was prepared for operation, startup, and shutdown of the washer water recycle system.

Jan 1, 1999

By W L. Lane, T R. Yanske

The Doe Run Company and its predecessors have been mining for over 130 years utilising the room and pillar mining method. This method has left approximately 20 per cent of the orebody in the remaining pillars. The original design and planning for the mines did not include extensive pillar extraction. This paper summarises the introduction of the pillar extraction and backfill techniques which have been implemented since 1991. These techniques include the use of low cost fill walls up to 20 m in height and the use of slinger trucks for topping off the fill. In conjunction with these accomplishments, much experience and confidence has been gained in the use of numerical modelling as a method of predicting pillar stability as the mining of pillars progresses. These advances have led to pillar extraction becoming a major portion of the overall production and have added to the mine life of Doe RunÆs six operating mines.

Jan 1, 1998

The Influence of Particle Shape in Rock Fracture

Sep 13, 2010

By R. V. Smith, M. H. Cullender

Rigorous equations for calculating subsurface pres.tures in flowing and static gas wells, and pressures along horizontal pipelines are presented in this paper. These general equations, based on the mechanical encrgy balance, contain no assumptions regarding temperature and can be used with either straight-line or curved temperature gradients. The friction factors recommended in this report are based on an absolute roughness of 0.0006 in. Flow is always considered to he turbulent. Although these general flow equations are solved by numerical means, the methods are as convenient as many of those used today to calculate pressures in gas wells and pipelines. These numerical methods are illustrated for flowing and static columns of gas in wells and for flow in pipelines. The authors believe that the use of these methods will result in more accurately calculated pressures in gas wells and pipelines and that [he methods are more flexible than any in use at the present time. Also, the methods are easily adaptable to automatic computers. INTRODUCTION The problem of calculating subsurface pressures in gas wells and along flowing pipelines has been studied by many investigators with the results that two widely-used methods have been presented in technical literature. One approximates conditions in a gas well or pipeline by assuming that temperature and compressi- bility are constants tor the entire gas column. The other method assumes that temperature is constant at some average value but permits compressibility to vary with pressure at the constant temperature. While these approximations may be justified for relatively shallow and low-pressure wells, they become more and more unrealistic as the calculations are applied to the deeper high-pressure wells. In wells or pipelines where there is an appreciable change in temperature between the inlet and outlet ends of the flow string, it is equally as important to consider the change in compressibility with temperature as it is to consider the change with pressure. Consequently, the methods presented in this paper were developed to provide a workable procedure for calculating pressures in gas wells and pipelines which makes no assumptions regarding either temperature or compressibility. The friction factors recommended for use with the equations were the result of study of published literature and extensive experimental work with gas wells. The F,. values in Appendix IV which contain the friction factor are equivalent to an absolute roughness of 0.0006 in. as calculated by the Nikuradse equation. The absolute roughness of 0.0006 in. was previously published by Cullender and Binckley2 for gas wells; it is in agreement with 0.00065 in. of Smith, Dewees, and Williams1 for gas wells and 0.00065 in. of Baker and Swerdloff4 for pipelines; it is in reasonable agreement with 0.0007 in. reported by the Bureau of Mines and the American Gas Assn.5 for large transmission lines. However, any type of friction factors may be used in the equations by a change in the F, values in Appendix [V].

Jan 1, 1957

By R. Angulo

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have recently emerged as materials with outstanding properties. This has promoted their consideration as reinforcements for other material systems, such as ceramics. However, one of the fundamental problems with producing CNT-reinforced ceramics is the effective dispersion of CNTs during processing. This has been successfully carried out recently using organic solvents. This paper is a preliminery investigation into the rheological behavior of aqueous CNT-alumina slips, with the objective of moving towards a more environmentally friendly aqueous tape casting process for the production of CNT-ceramic composites.

Jan 1, 2008

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Jan 1, 1938

By D. W. Olson

Estimated world production of natural and synthetic industrial diamond was about 630 million carats in 2004. Natural industrial diamond deposits have been found in more than 35 countries, and synthetic industrial diamond is produced in at least 10 countries. About 80 percent of the global output was produced in Ireland, Japan, Russia, South Africa and the United States. Russia and the United States are the world’s leading producers of synthetic industrial diamond. In 2004, the two U.S. synthetic producers, one in Pennsylvania and the other in Ohio, had an estimated output of 250million carats. Also in 2004, nine U.S. firms manufactured polycrystalline diamond (PCD) from synthetic diamond grit and powder.

Jan 1, 2005

By J. A. Allan

The utilization of natural deposits of salt is one of the oldest industries in Alberta. In 1820, Sir James Richardson visited Salt river, and in the same year D. W. Harmon states chat "clown Slave river, there are several places, where almost any quantity of excellent dean white salt may be taken, with as much ease as sand along the seashore. From these places the greater part of the northwest is supplied with this valuable article". This reference is to the salt chat occurs around springs on Salt river at the northern boundary of the Province. This and other occurrences will be described later in this paper. It is not on account of the development of salt and gypsum in Alberta chat this paper has been prepared, but rather to draw attention to the widespread distribution of salt-bearing and gypsum-bearing rocks, and to the stratigraphic importance of these rocks . The origin of the deposits of salt, gypsum, anhydrite, and dolomite is discussed, and the economic significance of these minerals is considered. There is no salt production reported from Alberta in 1928.

Jan 1, 1929

By P. Schutte

It is evident from most admired companies, globally, that they drive key priorities such as teamwork, customer focus, fair treatment of employees, initiative and innovation into their organisations. It is clearly proofed in all the research that the role of the human factor, and therefore human behaviour, is pivotal to companies striving to accomplish goals such as competitiveness, customer delight, high quality, growing productivity as well as a safety-committed work force. The challenge of leadership is to change the worker’s poor perception of safety to an excited, empowered, valued employee who is continuously committed to the achievement of high levels of health, safety and conformance – the challenge therefore is to transform from within. Any work force needs a set of behavioural rules which work for it – including safety rules and critical safety behaviours, which are accepted through involvement leadership, encouragement and support.

Jan 1, 2003

By John Wulff, Robert Kamm, M. A. Steinberg

IN a previous paper1 from this laboratory, the development of a lead grid method for exploring the distribution of strain and density within metal powder compacts was described, In that work thin lead foil with rectangular holes cut at regular intervals was inserted with the powder fill, the arrangement pressed and then radiographed to permit measurement of the deformation of the lead grid. Densities at each grid element obtained in this manner were plotted as a function of the die dimensions. From such plots it was, found that the densest part of a compact pressed from one side (the top) is at the top outer region and the least dense at the bottom outer region -of the specimen. The axial density maximum occurs more often nearer the bottom than at the top. As a result of such exploratory measurements, it appeared reasonable to conclude that variations in density could be attributed in the main to die wall friction. Thus compacts of large diameter appeared relatively uniform in density except where the die fill had been uneven. Finally it was found that lubrication of the finely finished die cavity contributed more to magnitude and uniformity of density within the compact than interparticle lubrication. Since publication of the above results, it was found that circular-hole grids could be more accurately made and, when deformed within the powder, more readily measured and analyzed. Much of the former work was repeated and new results which include the effect of lubrication, compact height, pressure, speed of pressing and vacuum pressing are reported in the present paper. CIRCULAR-HOLE GRIDS AND ANALYSES OF RADIOGRAPHS Commercial lead sheet 0.008 in. in thickness was used in all the work reported. The 0.0938-in. diam holes were punched in the sheet on 1/8-in, centers to an accuracy of 0.001 in. The finished grid used contained eight or more holes in a row and from I to 24 rows. The lead sheet was clamped between two pairs of brass strips bolted to a small milling machine table which was itself bolted to a bench in correct position near a vise which held the punch. Travel of the lead grid in two dimensions was controlled by two steel lead screws calibrated in 0.001-in. divisions. A stripper plate was used on the punch to avoid distortion of the lead foil. A high carbon-high chromium (chrocar) one-piece steel die was used throughout the work. The die cavity was 1,125 in. in diam and the clearance between plungers and die wall was 0.001 in, The die was also used for pressing from both ends with two long plungers. Finally, lapping of die and plungers gave a surface whose rms value on an Abbot profilometer was 5 micro-in. The die walls and plungers were, except where otherwise noted, lubricated with a stearic acid suspension in benzene. This was put on in multiple layers and allowed to dry before filling the die.

Jan 1, 1948

By Charles T. Steuart

The Arkansas Novaculite of Devonian and Mississippian age is the most distinctive formation in the central Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas from the standpoint of both topography and lithology. The formation typically forms precipitous, narrow ridges (hogbacks) which reflect the steepness of dip and the resistance and thickness of the rock units. The Arkansas Novaculite varies from less than 200 feet thick in the north to locally over 800 feet thick in the south and outcrops over an east-west distance of 360 km (200 miles) in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Most of the rocks of the formation are highly siliceous with novaculite predominating, and lesser quantities of chert, siliceous shale, conglomerate and rarely sandstone. Novaculite is commonly defined as a homogeneous mostly white rock, translucent on thin edges with a dull to waxy luster and composed almost entirely of microcrystalline quartz. The word novaculite comes from the Latin word novacula, meaning razor hone. This term was first used by Richard Kirwan in his mineralogy text of 1784. The origin of novaculite remains controversial but we believe it was a primary silica derived mostly from the alteration of submarine volcanic-rich materials, with numerous fine biogenic components and some minor clastics (derived mostly from foreland facies via turbidity currents) and deposited as an amorphous siliceous ooze in the deep Ouachita trough. It was subsequently converted to microcrystalline quartz during diagenesis by the compaction of the overlying rocks and the intense Late Paleozoic Ouachita Mountain tectonism. In the central and southern portions of the region three divisions of the formation have been defined: a Lower Division predominantly of light-colored novaculite; a Middle Division of interbedded dark chert and shale; and an Upper Division of massive often calcareous novaculite. In the northern exposures the formation is thinner and contains more black chert and shale, chert-shale conglom¬erate, sandstone and less novaculite. The massive novaculite of the Upper and Lower Divisions is a source of high purity silica (99+%). Indians were the first to use novaculite. They made their various tools and hunting implements from the weathered broken rock until they learned the quarrying techniques. The first white men in the area recognized the use of novaculite for sharpening their tools and knives: previously whetstones were obtained in small quantities from Europe. To this day whetstone is quarried mostly in areas which the Indians and possibly the Spanish previously worked. Some of the current mining practices have changed very little from those of the early quarryman. In areas where the novaculite of the Upper Division is poorly cemented, this friable tripolitic material has found applications in such uses as an abrasive, as a filler or extender in paints, plastics and other purposes. Some of the dense novaculite is suitable as a filler in fire bricks and also in plastics. Because some of it has the tendency to decrepitate when heated not all novaculite can be used for these applications. Several quarry operators are crushing novaculite for road, concrete, and other aggregate. This use was formerly rather limited due to the abrasiveness of the novaculite on crushing and screening equipment. Further potential uses of novaculite are speculative but include application of high purity silica in the production of silicon metal for solar cells, seed or "growing", and fusing quartz for electronics.

Jan 1, 1985

The copper electrodeposition from sulphuric acid electrolytes in the presence of Thiourea and Gelatin as additives was investigated by electrochemical noise and cyclic voltammetry in conjunction with the scanning electron microscopy technique. This study was oriented to examine the utility of using electrochemical noise "EN" technique to characterize the electrowinning process and the deposit structure morphology as compared to cyclic cyclovoltammetry "CV", an electrochemical method generally used industrially. Both EN and CV techniques were successful to reveal the effect of different concentrations of Thiourea and Gelatin on copper electrodeposition process. In this study, CV has detected an excess of Thiourea leading to porous deposit. While, the electrochemical noise analysis in the time domain (skewness and kurtosis parameters) as detected the presence of nodules and has given useful information concerning the morphology of the deposit closely related to the macroscopic and microscopic studies.

Jan 1, 2007

By R. G. Votteler, A. C. Brent

"The first in this series of two papers, on the potential of renewable electricity sources for mining operations in South Africa, investigated the internal structure of mining corporations to evaluate feasible alternative electricity sources that were identified as through earlier research. The purpose of this paper is to combine current knowledge about the external macroeconomic and the internal environments to produce a clear picture of how renewable sources of electricity could perform from the perspective of mining corporations in South Africa. The multi-attribute value theory (MAVT) approach was adapted to structure the research and results. The model was fed with real-time data provided from five different energy companies and four mining corporations operating in South Africa. The results show that the performance of hybrid versions of the currently used electricity sources (diesel generators and Eskom grid connection) with solar PV and onshore wind is favourable compared with the current sources alone. The advantage of diesel generators is significantly greater than that of the Eskom grid connection. By combining the macroeconomic influences with the MAVT results, hybrid solar PV versions are identified as having the greatest potential. In second place are hybrid wind solutions, which have the shortcoming that good wind conditions occur only in coastal regions where there are fewer mining activities. Geothermal hybrid versions are the least favourable owing to the lack of service infrastructure and high initial investment costs.IntroductionRecent developments in the macroeconomic environment necessitate an investigation of the internal structure of mining corporations to evaluate possible alternative electricitygenerating sources (Roehrl and Riahi, 2000). To be able to combine current knowledge of macroeconomic factors and the internal structure of mining corporations, the research process is presented in two papers. The first paper (Votteler and Brent, 2016) investigated the internal structure and argued that a strategic tool should be used to evaluate electricity sources from the perspective of mining corporations. The multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach was selected as the most appropriate strategic tool. Based on a literature review of previous similar MCDA approaches in energy planning, it was concluded that no adaptation of MCDA methods could be found from a corporate, mining, or South African perspective. Finally, the paper investigated the internal evaluation structure in collaboration with mining corporations, by identifying the criteria they use to evaluate electricity sources."

Jan 1, 2017

By T. J. McKeon

Gravity separators such as spirals are commonly used in multistage cleaning and scavenging circuits to improve the quality and recovery of concentrates produced in the industrial minerals industry. Unfortunately, field surveys suggest that many industrial operations are poorly configured in terms of equipment layout. This shortcoming can often be attributed to a failure by engineers to make use of fundamental process engineering tools for circuit design. One of the most important of these is linear circuit analysis. This powerful tool makes it possible to mathematically compare the relative efficiency of circuit configurations in advance of experimental testing. This article provides a basic review of the linear circuit analysis concept and discusses some of the key insights it provides for the layout of multistage circuits. An industrial case study is provided to show the tremendous impact that this process engineering tool can have on the design of multistage spiral circuits in a heavy mineral wet plant.

Feb 1, 2012

By V. I. Lakshmanan, R. Roy

"Zinc is the fourth most widely used metal in the world after iron, aluminum and copper. The primary zinc production is through flotation of zinc concentrate, roasting, leaching and electrowinning. Close to 60% of the metal produced is consumed in galvanizing the steel by making a thin layer of zinc coating on the steel surface by hot dip galvanizing. Process Research ORTECH Inc. has developed an efficient energy-saving sustainable technology for the recovery of zinc from secondary sources such as galvanized steel scrap, dross, dusts etc. The process consists of treating the zinc containing scrap in an alkaline solution to remove the zinc and thereby producing a zinc free steel scrap for recycle. The zinc containing leach liquor is subjected to a solvent extraction process to recover value added zinc oxide as the final product. In this paper, important industrial processes for the recycling of zinc including the PRO process will be discussed. BACKGROUNDZinc is the fourth most widely used metal in the world after iron, aluminum and copper. Global refined zinc output increased by 2.7 per cent to 13.16 million tonnes in 2011 and is expected to increase by an additional 2.4 per cent to 13.48 million tonnes in 2012 [1]. The primary zinc production is through flotation of zinc concentrate, roasting, leaching and electrowinning. Close to 60% of the metal produced is consumed in galvanizing steel by making a thin layer of zinc coating on the steel surface by hot dip galvanizing. Other major usages of zinc are in the production of brass and bronze, die casting and zinc-air batteries. The additional demand for zinc could come from its addition to fertilizers to increase crop yield.While the demand for zinc is increasing, many mines are scheduled to close in near future after being depleted of ore. The mines set to close between now and 2015 are Teck Resources’ Red Dog Mine in Alaska, Minmetals’ Century Mine in Australia and Vedanta Resource’s Skorpion Mine in Namibia [1]. The depletion of resources due to continued use and exploitation is becoming a great concern for the zinc industry. As a result, the sustainability of natural resources for continued societal care has become extremely important. Resource conservation and recovery by recycling with minimal environmental impact is a key element for sustainable development. In this paper, important industrial processes for the recycling of zinc including the PRO process are presented."

Jan 1, 2012

By D. Hodouin

The improvement of mineral processing data using material balance computer programs is nowadays a current practice in many plants, engineering companies or research centers. It now becomes more obvious that such programs should integrate new features such as the preprocessing of data, the estimation of less accessible process variables and an in-depth interpretation of: the computed results. A few solutions to these new problems are already available. The feasibility of a mass balance computation for instance can be examined by analyzing the degree of redundancy of the measurements prior to any data adjustment. New variables such as chemical analyses in particle size intervals or liquid phase composition can be included in a set of measurements. Finally, a sensitivity analysis can be used to analyze the reliability of the results, to detect eventual outliers or to redesign a sampling scheme. Some illustrations of these new developments are presented.

Jan 1, 1989

By Larry D. Wayland

Almost 100 sedimentation ponds were conceptually designed for a large surface mining study area in northeast Texas. An approximate procedure was developed to economically estimate construction quantities in order to predict surface water control costs. This procedure utilized site-specific empirical relationships developed from detailed analyses on a representative number of proposed sedimentation ponds. Use of these equations provided earthwork volumes, and spillway pipe lengths. The procedure developed for this study is presented along with the results of a verification analysis.

Jan 1, 1983

By J. G. Trowell, D. T. Magee

"IntroductionMANITOBA'S first recoverable oil was from the California Standard Daly 15-18 well in Lsd. 15, Sec. 18, Twp. 10, Range 27, W.P.M., completed early in 1951. This well also gave the first indications of commercial production in the Williston basin, which is centred in North Dakota and extends into southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba. Subsequent drilling in the Manitoba portion of the basin has revealed the presence of oil in more or less commercial quantities at various points in an area approximately four townships in width and eleven townships in length.Although completions are becoming fairlly widespread in the area,, the greatest activity is in the Virden district, with the focal point in the Daly field, approximately eight miles west •of Virden. This paper will deal with the various techniques used in the Daly field, where •completion problems have •been unusually troublesome. Techniques evolved there have already been used with success at other points in southwestern Manitoba.Daly FieldGeneralTo date, all production has been from the Mississippian limestone, which is encountered •at depths ranging from 2,300 to 2,500 feet. Pay thickness is •of the order of 100 feet. Core analyses indicate average porosity .of about 9 per cent but permeabilities, for the most part, are extremely low."

Jan 1, 1953

By Wilky Desrosin, Alicia E. Ares, Carlos E. Schvezov

"In the present research the horizontal directional solidification Zn-Sn alloys (Zn-4wt. %Sn, Zn- 6wt. %Sn, Zn-10wt.%Sn and Zn-30wt.%Sn) was carried out by extracting heat in two opposite directions. For this purpose, ceramic molds, a muffie, a horizontal furnace with two heat extraction systems at the ends, a measurement, acquisition and recording temperature system, eight K-type thermocouples and an electronic recorder were used. The main parameters involved in the columnar-to-equiaxed transition, CET, were: the moment of start and end of solidification at each position under consideration, cooling rates, the average temperature gradients and critical temperature gradients at the CET, the average speed of liquid and solid interphases left and right, advancing in opposite directions. Also, solidification kinetics was found to be different between horizontal solidification two-way heat extractions, with preliminary results of the vertical unidirectional solidification. In the solidification experiments, the velocity and accelerations of the liquidus and solidus interphases usually occurs at the end solidification zone of the samples.IntroductionSolidification of metal alloys, which starts in the external equiaxed region (chill), results in two basic types of structures in a single solidified alloy sample: columnar and equiaxed. The presence of both structures indicates the occurrence of the colunmar-to-equiaxed transition phenomenon[!].Studying the colunmar-to-equiaxed transition, CET, is of great technological interest for the evaluation and design of the mechanical properties of the solidification products. To this end it is necessary to understand the mechanisms by which it occurs. As found in previous studies [2-5], the CET occurs by competition between columnar and equiaxed growth. Mainly is controlled by the parameters of casting, such as the alloy composition, the density of the present nuclei in the liquid, the cooling capacity of the metal I mold, and the degree of convection in the liquid [7-10]."

Jan 1, 2014

By C. C. Koch, M. L. Picklesimer

PHYSICAL metallurgists interested in the alloying behavior and phase transformations in rare-earth metals and alloys require a strain-free polished and etched surface for both metallographic and X-ray examination. However, the rare earths have presented a problem in this respect since they are difficult to polish free from strain and are very reactive to the atmosphere. Their tendency to oxidize readily even at room temperature necessitates careful preparation and rather elaborate protection if their surface is to be examined for any length of time. The "light" lan-thanides (i .e., atomic numbers less than 63), especially lanthanum and cerium, are particularly bad in this regard; they oxidize very rapidly at room temperature. To eliminate the problem of plastic deformation remaining on the surface after mechanical polishing, electropolishingl and chemical polishing techniques2 have been developed. The electropolishing technique requires the specimen to be immersed in an electrolyte at -77°C and thus obviates a metallographic study of, for example, the fcc —double-hexagonal close-packed (dhcp) transformation in cerium which begins at -10°C. The chemical polishing solution has been used only on several of the "heavy" rare-earth metals. However, a convenient method for protecting the polished and etched surfaces from atmospheric corrosion has not been available. Our interest in the superconducting properties of lanthanum, and in the phase transformations in lanthanum and cerium, has led us to develop a technique for the metallographic preparation of lanthanum and cerium which clearly reveals the microstructure and preserves the etched surface for days. The specimens are chemically polished and anodized. The chemical polishing is performed at room temperature, the anodic oxide film provides the required protection from the atmosphere, and colors produced in the film provide a simple positive technique for phase identification. Lanthanum and cerium metal ingots obtained from Johnson Matthey and Co., Ltd., were remelted to suitable shapes and heat-treated to produce various microstructures. The samples were placed in epoxy mounts and, after a small hole was drilled in the back of the mount for electrical contact, were ground on silicon carbide

Jan 1, 1968