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By J. Boitano

This paper discusses the study, design and implementation of the new gas handling system for the Caletones Smelter of Cbdelco..Chile. A discussion on design conditions for a Mure Sulphuric Acid Plant using Teniente Converter.gases.is also included. The old system which started to be modified in 1985 and relied on natural draft and used balloon flues, resulted in a limited .gas handling capacity for operation under Mure process conditions. This system also caused excessive fugitive gases in the smelter working areas. The new system permits handling of process gases from the higher capacity Teniente converters installed in 1987-1989 Improving the gas handling of the reverberatory furnaces and Peirce-Smith converters as well as the environmental conditions of the smelter. This system utilises improved converter gas hoods, evaporative cooling and electrostatic precipitators gas cleaning, and is based on natural draft.

Jan 1, 1992

By Terry Ritzel

Predictive maintenance technologies include vibration analysis, tribology, infrared thermography, ultrasonic detection and electrical measurements. These technologies have been applied to large electric mining shovels at the Cyprus Sierrita Mine outside of Tucson, AZ. The predictive maintenance program was initiated on the P&H models 2300 and 4100 electric shovels during August 1996. Results of these technologies have shown the potential for improving electric min- ing shovel availability and minimizing maintenance costs. Predictive technologies provide the tools to assess machinery condition. Availability is enhanced by the condition-based planning of component replacement. Maintenance costs are minimized by focusing resources through condition-based prioritization.

Jan 1, 1997

By R. Schutte, L. W. Trevoy

Commercial production of heavy minerals from plant tailing streams is undergoing study by Syncrude Canada Ltd. When tar sand from an open pit mine is processed and upgraded to synthetic crude oil, heavy minerals can be recovered from the extraction circuit and can be upgraded to provide concentrates of zircon and titanium minerals. The titanium minerals concentrate, consisting of a mixture of ilmenite, leucoxene, and rutile, can be utilized as recovered or can be upgraded to synthetic rutile. With the construction of further synthetic crude oil plants in Western Canada a large reserve of heavy minerals will become available for production.

Jan 1, 1983

By J. A. Marts, R. C. Gilmore, Jr. Bogin, S. A. Saki, J. F. Brune, J. W. Grubb

"Most, if not all longwall gobs contain explosive gas zones (EGZs), i.e., zones of explosive methane-air mixtures that can cause – and have caused – mine fires and explosions. If the coal is prone to spontaneous combustion, oxygen penetration into the gob must be avoided. This paper summarizes the significant research findings from five years of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling research conducted at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) under funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). CSM Researchers have developed CFD modeling techniques to identify where and under what circumstances EGZs can form in longwall gobs and how EGZ formation and oxygen penetration depend on the ventilation method, face and bleeder ventilation parameters, injection of inert gases and the operation of gob ventilation boreholes. Recognizing these explosion and fire hazards is an important first step in improving the safety of longwall coal mines. CSM modeling research has shown that EGZ formation can be effectively controlled by adjusting ventilation parameters, choosing the proper ventilation pattern and injecting inert gases where necessary. INTRODUCTION In a project sponsored by the NIOSH Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, researchers at the Colorado School of Mines have examined gas compositions and flows in longwall gobs in order to assess explosion and fire hazards. Since gob areas are inaccessible, researchers developed a series of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical modeling tools to characterize these hazards. A variety of CFD models were developed to cover progressively sealed as well as bleeder ventilated gobs for both coal and trona mines. The explosion and fire hazards posed by EGZs in longwall gobs can be summarized as follows.• If the EGZ lies closely behind the longwall face, flames and pressures from an explosion can penetrate the shield supports and reach the active face area, creating blast trauma, burn hazards and toxic, unbreathable atmospheres. • EGZs can be pushed around inside the gob by roof collapses and cave-ins. If they get pushed out into the face area, sudden methane inundations and explosion hazards in face areas can result. • Fresh air flowing into the gob can create an explosion hazard as the gas composition in the gob moves from fuel-rich inert to explosive, creating EGZs. • Ignition sources inside the gob can be frictional ignitions or spontaneous combustion. • Bleeder ventilated gobs are surrounded on all sides by an EGZ that forms along the fringe areas between the fresh-air ventilated bleeder entries and the methane-rich interior of the gob. It is suspected that diffusion flames can propagate rapidly along these EGZ fringes if an ignition occurs"

Jan 1, 2015

By R. M. S. Falcon, L. M. Falcon

The prediction of the mechanical behaviour of South African coal on the basis of current proximate and other chemical parameters gives rise to problems, and the use of ultimate analyses and inferred maceral and rank analyses, although it has improved the situation to some extent, is still not satisfactory. In an attempt to reach a new level of understanding, this paper gives an in-depth review of the fundamental petrographic characteristics of coal and compares these parameters with the main types of mechanical performance. A two-tiered system of primary and secondary parameters is proposed for the prediction of coal behaviour. The primary or inherent parameters include rank and organic composition. The secondary or extraneous factors include such parameters as mineral mater, cracks or cleats, degree of oxidation, and size. In addition, an explanation is offered of several anomalous behavioural conditions in some South African coals.

Jan 1, 1987

By Slobodan Vujic

Production of building materials such as are stones, sand, gravel etc., is characterized by a relatively low economic value and requires reasonable transport costs. That is why we are often faced, in our practical work, with the fact that within the framework of a relatively small area several open pits of building materials are, developed side by side while neither ecological, urban and spatial nor location factors have been taken into consideration. Numerous locations together with heterogeneous factors. point undoubtedly to the problem of planning the open pits locations for building mateials as a very serious and complex one. Even when certain localities are in question, it is rather a difficult task to present a real state and encompass all the, important location factors by mathematical model ling. This paper presents one of such models for solving the problem of selecting a location for building materials open pit.

Jan 1, 1992

By L. C. Glenn

IN the preparation of this paper the writer has drawn freely upon the writings of Orton, Munn, Shaw, Mather, Miller, Hoeing, St. Clair, Jillson, and others, as well as upon his own personal knowledge of the fields of both states. It is to be regretted that certain data gathered by him and his assistants last fall are not available for publication. OIL IN TENNESSEE A few wells drilled for brine for salt making in Tennessee between 1820 and 1840 obtained oil, but no definite search was made for oil until just after the close of the Civil War. Active drilling was then begun in Overton and counties southwest of it on the eastern half of the Highland Rim. A number of strikes were made at shallow depths in the basal part of the Mississippian but the wells were soon exhausted and abandoned. Drilling was revived, about. 1892, when the Spurrier district in Pickett County was developed and was followed by the Riverton district in the same county in 1896. A pipe line was laid from the Wayne County, Ky., fields and about 60,000 bbl. of oil were run before a very heavy slump in the production, a failure to find an extension of the field, and excessive local taxation caused the removal of the pipe line in 1906. There was then no production in Tennessee until the discovery, in 1915, of oil near Oneida, Scott Co., at about 950 ft. (289 m.) in fissures in the Newman or St. Louis limestone. This field, however, soon failed and was abandoned. In 1916, oil was found at Glen Mary, Scott Co., in the Newman limestone at a depth of 1232 ft. (375 m.) A number of wells have since been drilled there, some of which were dry while others, close by, were producers. The largest one yielded, at first, about 340 bbl. per day and produced for several months, when it suddenly went dry. Several of the first wells began at 6 or 8 bbl. per day and are still maintaining that

Jan 1, 1920

ON presenting the medalist, J.. V. W. Reynders said, in part: "Far the greatest progress in the art of steel-nuking has occurred in the production of lighter forms such as tool steels and steels entering into the moving parts of machinery generally, and particularly into the con-struction of automobiles and airplanes. In this highly specialized field in which the study of alloys and heat treatment has brought about such fundamental changes of design and practice, Dr. Mathews has achieved a ranking position. "As the technical head of the largest producer of special steels, his laboratory conclusions are frequently but a few steps removed from practical exploitation. The experimental determinations of yesterday must be sufficiently conclusive to form the basis for the specific plans of today, and to warrant commercial production tomorrow. His is not the complacent atmosphere of theoretical speculation, but one in which practice fol-lows close upon the heels of scientific research.

Jan 3, 1928

By Bradley V. Johnson

This publication summarizes the in-house and contract research and development projects conducted since 1974 by the Bureau of Mines for the control of noise and vibrations from surface mine blasting.

Jan 1, 1982

By Spencer P. Hwell, Charles E. Munroe

"Among the surplus explosives left on band with the War Department was a quantity of that styled Trojan Grenade Powder, which was especially designed during the war for use as a bursting charge in grenades and for which naturally there would be very little military use in time of peace. With a view to its disposal through use in civil projects a quantity was sent to the Bureau of Minas explosives experiment station, where analysis showed that its characteristic explosive ingredient was nitrostarcn and that the powder bad the following composition:Trojan Grenade Powder appears as a dark gray granular substance, part of which is slightly pulverulent. The granules fairly hard. The explosive is not at all dusty, and has the consistency of granulated sugar.Nitrostarch is a substance produced by treating starch with nitric and sulphuric acids and in appearance it looks very little different from powdered starch. It resembles nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin in its constitution and explosive properties and has been longer known than either, it having been prepared by Braconnet in 1833. Nitrostarch explosives have in recent years been developed for industrial use in this country, they having been used to an extent in blasting in the Canal Zone, yet as this grenade powder was a special composition it seemed desirable that a complete series of tests should be run upon it. This was done, and the results are reported in the following table in comparison with those previously obtained in testing ammonia dynamite."

Jun 1, 1920

Fire-clay blocks lining the combustion chambers of zinc concentrate flash-roasting, furnaces operating at 1,000-1,200° C. have suffered moderately rapid deterioration due to slagging. The attack is accentuated by high temperatures, and is probably caused by lead oxide volatilized from the roasted concentrate.Resistance of refractories to attack increased with increasing alumina content from 30 to 45 per. cent but at 90 per cent alumina spalling was troublesome. Magnesite bricks were'subject to some spalling, but some types may lie satisfactory. Chrome and chrome-magnesite bricks spalled seriously.Material thought to be suitable for use as a monolithic lining slagged badly and an alternative may be tested.INTRODUCTIONThe Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia Ltd. uses two multi-hearth furnaces and four flash or suspension roasting furnaces for the roasting .of zinc concentrates at its Risdon Works. The hearth roasting plant has been described previously by Forster (1949).A brief descriptioI1 of the first three flash roasters was given by Gordon and Forster (1955). A fourth flash roasting furnace began operation early in 1957. This furnace is somewhat larger than the earlier furnaces, and the designed capacity is also higher, auxiliary equipment being altered to suit. An important structural difference between the older furnaces and the fourth flash roaster is that the walls of the combustion chamber of the new furnace are lined with high alumina fire-bricks instead of fire-clay blocks. Thischange was made because the fire-clay blocks in the older flash roasters had shown s-evere wastage due to slagging by lead derived from the concentrate.

Jan 1, 1959

By P. C. Beuria

Iron ore concentrate contains different mineral phases viz. hematite, magnetite, goethite, kaolinite, and gibbsite. Presence of some of these phases like goethite, kaolinite, and gibbsite contribute to the loss on ignition (LOI) content of the sample. Iron ore fines (pellet feed) are pelletized for utilization in DRI & BF processes. In the present pelletization technology i.e., straight grate and grate kiln processes, the LOI in the ore should be within the range of 2.0-2.5%. LOI content in the iron ore concentrate is found to be more than 4% after beneficiation of low-grade iron ore. It is therefore difficult to produce good quality pellet because of high LOI content. The LOI content of the sample is a detrimental factor in the pellet making. For effective pelletization, the LOI content in iron ore fines needs to be reduced before pelletization. It can be reduced by fluidized bed roasting. The objective of present work is to understand the kinetics of removal of LOI from iron ore fines. The effects of bed depth, temperature, and residence time on reduction of LOI content in iron ore fines were studied using muffle furnace. The process of roasting was carried out at four different temperatures varying from 400 to 950 °C with a variable residence time of 30, 45, 60 & 75 minutes and at bed depths of 16, 32, 48 & 64 mm. In all instance of experiments carried out, one of the parameters was kept constant. It was observed that at 850 °C and 30 minutes of residence time, there was sufficient removal of LOI in static bed condition even at a high bed depth of 64 mm. Keywords: LOI, pellet feed, fluidized bed roasting, goethite

Sep 1, 2012

By Mike Lewis

"Descending several stories down a metal staircase into a shaft spanning a quarter city block -- soon to become Roosevelt Light Rail Station in Seattle, WA -- visitors are greeted with four perfectly round, precast concrete-lined horizontal holes leading deep into the earth. The sound of water trickling out from a small drainage trough can be heard over the faint echoes of construction within. Upon entering, the light is dim, but the air is clear with barely a dust particle flowing through the sunbeams. This type of air quality is only accomplished with diligent controls, and JCM Northlink, the company in charge of building the Northgate Link Extension Project, is taking those measures seriously.Commissioned by Sound Transit, JCM is a joint venture of three companies: Jay Dee Contractors, Frank Coluccio Construction Co. and Michels Corp. The tunnels JCM constructed are intended to provide fast, reliable underground rail service, as well as relieve one of the region’s most congested traffic areas. The $440 million project will connect the Northgate, Roosevelt and University District neighborhoods north of Seattle to the downtown corridor and SeaTac airport further south.The scope of this project includes excavation for two light rail stations, boring of two parallel 5 km- (3.3-mile) long light rail tunnels in six runs and the construction of 23 cross passages. Begun in 2014, Sound Transit estimates that crews excavated more than 382,000 m3 (500,000 cu yds) of soil and installed 7,352 precast concrete tunnel liner rings during the shaft construction and boring phase. Now that tunnel boring is complete, JCM is in the process of constructing the cross passages, which act as maintenance areas and escape routes for passengers. Throughout the entire process, the company has utilized atomized mist to control particle emissions.“Our dust control needs change at every phase of the project and don’t go away until the project is fully complete,” said a JCM safety representative. “We found that different dust suppression technologies were needed at different intervals, but atomized mist seemed to fulfill our needs at every step.”"

Jan 9, 2017

By Uday B. Pal

In the electrochemical vapor deposition (EVD) process, gaseous cation precursors are passed over one side of a porous substrate, and oxygen is passed on the other side of the substrate. The gases diffuse and react within the porous substrate, and the pores get filled with the desired solid oxide. Subsequent solid state electrochemical transport through the solid oxide in the pores continues the reaction, and the film grows over the porous substrate. The EVD process has been used to deposit lanthanum chromite interconnection films and yttria stabilized zirconia electrolyte films over porous air electrodes. The EVD growth of these solid oxide films is found to be parabolic in nature, which indicates that the solid state transport (diffusion) of ions through the film controls the growth. This solid state transport can be analyzed using Wagner's treatment of the electrochemical transport. Conductivity measurements and the information on the defect structure of the oxide can be combined with the EVD growth rate measurements to calculate the solid state transport properties (transport numbers and partial conductivities) of the rate-controlling minority species in the oxide. Using this approach, the EVD growth of other electronic, mixed conducting and ionic solid oxide films can also be analyzed.

Jan 1, 1992

By H. Kurama

In this paper, utilization of fly ash as a value added product in areas such as novel materials, waste management, fillers and agriculture is reviewed with the aim of helping the expand of the usage of fly ash and reduce the environmental and economic impacts of disposal. The used unburned carbon benefication/treatment methods such as low temperature combustion, froth flotation, partical size classification and electrostatic separations to remove unburned carbon particles from fly ash are also discussed.

Jan 1, 2006

By X. Cao, X. -G. Chen, K. Liu

As is well known, the standard Al-Cu 206 cast alloys have extremely low iron contents, usually less than 0.15 wt. %. Recently it is found that the iron contents of the 206 cast alloys can be extended up to 0.5 wt. % through the precise control of the iron-rich intermetallic phases. In the present work, the tensile fracture surfaces of the 206 cast alloys with various iron contents are systematically analyzed to understand the failure mechanisms. Results show that higher iron contents can reduce the tensile properties (especially the ductility) of the alloys mainly due to the increasing volume percent and size of the iron-rich intermetallics. Tensile failure mainly occurs at the iron-rich intermetallics/matrix interfaces for the platelet ß-Fe, but by the self-disassociation for the Chinese script a-Fe and Alm(FeMn). Cracking is easier to initiate and propagate along the longitudinal axis of the platelet intermetallics, but it can be deflected along the branches/arms of the Chinese script iron-rich phases, making the alloy more resistant to the propagation of the cracks, and thus the Chinese script iron-rich intermetallics are less harmful than platelet ß-Fe. In addition, it was also found that the Chinese script a-Fe has even a less damaging effect compared to the Chinese script Alm(FeMn) due to the relatively small size and compact morphology.

Jan 1, 2014

The following list contains the names of members of whose deaths notices have been printed in MINING AND METALLURGY during the year ending April 1, 1939. Biographical sketches published in MINING AND METALLURGY are indicated in the last two columns.

Jan 1, 1944

By X-F Zhao, J-W Li, L-P Zeng

"An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation. The formation of Kiruna-type deposits has been ascribed to either immiscible iron phosphate melt separated from silicic magma or precipitation from magmatic-hydrothermal fluids. The early Cretaceous Ningwu volcanic basin in Eastern China contains tens of Kiruna-type iron deposits. The orebodies are mainly hosted within the top zones of subvolcanic dioritic intrusions and along the contacts between these intrusions and adjacent volcanic rocks/strata.The orebodies are commonly associated with widespread brecciation and wall rock replacement. Magnetite formation was closely associated with extensive hydrothermal alteration that may extend kilometres, with both vertical and horizontal zonation. Field and textural data indicate that magnetite formed slightly later than albitisation but coeval with apatite and actinolite. Elemental analysis of magnetite and apatite from ores shows distinct features to those as igneous accessary minerals in the host dioritic intrusions, suggesting a genetic relationship to magmatic-hydrothermal processes. Magnetites have elevated TiO2 (up to 5 wt per cent) and V2O3 (up to 0.7 wt per cent), which implies that they are derived from incipient high-temperature magmatic fluids. It is concluded that the Kiruna-type deposits in the Ningwu basin most likely formed from high-temperature magmatic-hydrothermal fluids. The emplacement of dioritic intrusions into a subvolcanic setting likely plays a critical role in the development of Kiruna-type deposits.CITATION:Zhao, X-F, Zeng, L-P and Li, J-W, 2015. Kiruna-type iron deposits in the Mesozoic Ningwu volcanic basin, Eastern China – origin and relationship to subvolcanic dioritic intrusions, in Proceedings PACRIM 2015 Congress, pp 657–662 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 18, 2015

By W. J. González

"With the increasing demand for minerals, technologies to maximize mineral recovery are paramount to a mine’s economic success. Many mining process waters have the potential to form calcium-based inorganic scales, which inhibit effective mineral recovery. Often, the solution to inhibit these deposits is the implementation of a chemical antiscalant program. This paper examines the application of a fouling analyzer to continuously monitor the formation of inorganic scale in mining process streams. The fouling data can be used to compare antiscalant programs and to optimize antiscalant feedrates. Case studies validate the ability of this technology to help optimize mineral recovery processes.INTRODUCTION The mining industry uses significant quantities of water. From quarrying, to crushing, to flotation, leaching, and refining, water is often the integral motive force to move slurries, separate or agglomerate fines, and extract and purify minerals. As well, water is used in a number of ancillary applications at mines, including dust suppression, gas scrubbing, and utility processes such as boiler, cooling, and waste water operations. For many processes, the quality of water being used is inconsequential. However, for certain processes, such as flotation, leaching, and desorption / stripping, water quality plays a key role in the ability of the operation to economically recover the target minerals. Dissolved solids such as calcium and magnesium salts can concentrate in process waters, exceed their solubility limits, and precipitate as scale on metal surfaces such as feed and transfer pumps, piping, and equipment. Some of the more common scales that form in mining operations include calcium carbonate (CaCO3, or calcite) and calcium sulfate (CaSO4, or gypsum), and to a lesser extent, calcium and magnesium silicate compounds. Any scale that deposits in a process stream will negatively impact mineral recovery, and increase the operational costs of the mine site. Whether it is acid washing a scaled heat exchanger in a carbon strip at a gold operation, replacing plugged emitter tubes in a leaching operation, or hydroblasting process lines in a scrubber unit, there are costs associated with labor, cleaning chemicals, repairs, and replacement parts. These costs pale in comparison to the potential costs of downtime and lost production, should the scale deposits occur in a process that is critical to the recovery of the target mineral."

Jan 1, 2014

By A. D. Smigelskas, E. O. Kirkendall

THIS is the third paper in a series on the diffusion of zinc in alpha brass.1 At the time of the first-paper it was accepted that diffusion in a substitutional type of solid solution depended upon an equal interchange of solute and solvent atoms across the diffusion interface (or past a given lattice reference point). Discrepancies in the size of the areas under the diffusion curves on each side of the interface, if observed, were explained on some other basis than the fact that the solute atoms might cross the diffusion interface without an equal number of solvent atoms diffusing across the interface in the opposite direction. The second paper presented evidence indicating that zinc atoms in alpha brass diffuse across the interface more rapidly in one direction than the copper atoms diffuse across the interface in the opposite direction. This phenomenon forced the interface to move in the opposite direction of the diffusion of zinc atoms to provide space for the additional zinc atoms dissolved in the alpha brass. That the interface and columnar grain structure on one side would remain intact during this mass movement was not expected; however, it is gratifying that they did. While the evidence was sufficiently satisfying to the author, it was decided that additional experiments were in order to prove that zinc diffuses more rapidly than copper in alpha brass. It is the purpose of this paper to present the results of these experiments. PROCEDURE A bar of 70-30 wrought brass was selected, to avoid the relatively large volume change in going from beta to alpha brass as in the previous investigation. A bar 7 in. (18-cm.)* long and about ¾ in. (1.9 cm.) wide was surface ground and polished with abrasive paper on plate glass to 0.4184 ± .0002 in. (1.0625 ± 0.0005 cm.) thick. Six 0.005-in. (0.013-cm.) diameter molybdenum wires, chosen because of their very low solubility in copper and alpha brass, were stretched lengthwise along each of the two plane surfaces. Glass tubes placed at right angles to the wires every ½ in. held the wires tightly against the brass. The sample was then emersed in an acid copper sulphate plating bath and electroplated to a depth of about 0.020 in. (0.050 cm.) copper on all sides. The glass tubes were no longer necessary to hold the molybdenum wires in place and were removed. The sample was then electroplated to a depth of

Jan 1, 1946