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By Walter Gaby

L. C. GRATON, Cambridge, Mass.-May I ask, in connection with one point in the summary, to what extent the author regards actinolite equivalent to tourmaline as an index of high-temperature and presumably magmatic conditions of deposition of the accompanying sulphides? W. E. GARY.-I merely advanced the idea that the mineral actinolite might have some such significance. In the copper deposit at Braden in South America, the ore occurs in an andesite breccia which is cemented by a matrix of sulphides, quartz, and tourmaline. Tourmaline is a high-temperature mineral, and when we find it associated with ores, these are regarded as having come from a volcanic or deep-seated source, hence a primary hypogenetic deposit. Thus we can count on greater continuation of the ore with depth than in some other kinds of deposit, and I thought that the actinolite, being also a high-temperature mineral, might have some such bearing in the case of Mount Morgan. I did not advance this idea as a final conclusion from a study of such phenomena, but thought that it might bear some discussion in view of the fact of the peculiar occurrence of this mineral in a notable orebody. It also occurs with the copper ores at Ducktown, Tenn., and in both cases may only be due to general regional metamorphism.

Jan 12, 1916

By W. E. Falck, A. Usubiaga, J. Spangenberg, P. Schepelmann, S. Šolar, D. Wittmer, F. Blanchard

The extraction and processing of mineral resources may be accompanied by environmental impacts. In spite of technological advancements, the enormous increase in production volumes within the last decades has induced sizeable environmental impacts along the life-cycle of products. Beside environmental impacts, social issues associated with mining need to be considered to ensure the social acceptability of mining activities. The project EO-MINERS aims at deploying Earth Observation (EO) tools to inform best practices in mining and to thus assist the global mineral resources industries in their transition to sustainable development. In order to facilitate the handling of complex sets of information requirements from a wide variety of stakeholders, a set of indicators was developed that will inform the process of EO tool and services development. The project strives to enable stakeholders outside the industry to meaningfully participate in decision-finding processes on mining-related issues by developing and providing EO products and services that fit the information requirements. The project has identified a wide range of such information requirements by stakeholders that could be potentially provided by EO tools. The applicability of the EO tools on the local level is tested on three mining sites.

Jan 1, 2011

By J. Humphrey

Introduction The weight of a Mining Truck can be affected by field modifications, the selection of items like tires, rims or even the conditions in which it operates. Truck performance and the compliance with a number of ISO standards, e.g. braking, steering and ROPS are dependent on truck weight. It is critical that truck owners understand the impact of changes in weight1. What makes this even more difficult for owners to evaluate is that there is no standard terminology or definitions for Mining Truck weights. This paper discusses and defines weight terminology, how it applies to performance and standards and the impact on the application of Mining Trucks.

Jan 1, 2007

This publication summarizes, for potential contractors and all other interested parties, the research and development of in-house and contract projects programmed by the Bureau of Mines for fiscal year 1983 (October 1, 1982-September 30, 1983) under its Health and Safety Technology program. The objective of these projects is to provide an ordered and sequenced series of advance toward the Bureau's overall goal of providing the systems technology required to create a more healthful and safer working environment for the Nation's mining and minerals processing workers.

Jan 1, 1982

By Allan Breitenbach

Leaching has been used since the 1600s on unlined ore dumps and since the late 1970s on lined leach pads for the recovery of metals from mined ore, the latter typically called ?heap? leaching and the former ?dump? leaching. Modern day run-of-mine (ROM) or crushed ore heaps are stacked in controlled lifts on lined leach pads and irrigated with a solvent solution (dilute alkaline cyanide for precious meals, dilute sulfuric acid for base metals and uranium). Conventional lined leach pads store process solutions and any storm water, snow melt and cumulative wet season surplus water by gravity flow to external ponds. Impounding valley leach pads (also known as valley fill heaps) differ from conventional leach pads by storing various combinations of process liquid solution and surplus water within internal ponds by using the interstitial pore volume of the ore. While impounding liquids within the heap is simple in concept, impounding leach pads are more complicated for construction and containment compared to conventional leach pads with external ponds.

Jan 1, 2012

By Bradford P. Simser

Increasingly sophisticated rock mechanic tools are becoming more and more available for today?s ground control specialist. However many problems are still beyond our ability to explicitly calculate or measure. There is often a gap between the ?art? and the ?science? of rock mechanics. This paper focuses more on the ?art?, giving relatively simple examples of underground observations and micro-seismic records to help explain ground control issues. Ground support techniques such as in cycle shotcrete with high pressure water scaling, mesh and bolting, pumpable resin bolts/cablebolting, and yielding bolts with load spreading straps are discussed. The use of primary/secondary type blasthole sequences in moderate to high stress situations is also discussed with several examples of the micro-seismic response to the stoping. Relatively erratic geology with high material strength contrasts is currently being mined with blasthole methods at Nickel Rim South. Although the mine is still in its? ?early? days, over 1 million tonnes has been extracted and some empirical experience is highlighted with potential longer term issues also being discussed.

Oct 1, 2010

By J. A. Wallace

U. S. Steel's coal mining research activities are directed toward providing new or improved hardware and techniques to increase productivity or reduce cost. Because more than 80 percent of U. S. Steel's coal production is obtained from continuous miner sections, most of our research efforts are focused upon that mining system. Current and historical time study data show that our continuous miners only operate about 30 percent of the available face time. This limited equipment utilization is the result of the delays or interferences imposed by the non-coal-cutting phases of the continuous mining cycle. The most time consuming of these delays are: waiting-on-roof-support, tramming between alternate work locations, waiting-on-haulage-capacity, and in some mines waiting for excessive methane concentrations to clear. Because waiting on roof support is our most time consuming delay, several programs are underway simultaneously to address this problem. In one of these we are developing a patented microprocessor-based control method and apparatus to improve roof drilling performance. This increase is attained by using the microprocessor to adjust electrohydraulic valves which control drill thrust and rotation speed. The microprocessor is designed to continuously search for an optimum combination of thrust and drill rpm to maximize penetration rate at all times.

Jan 1, 1979

By B. W. Frazier

At a recent meeting of the North of England Institute of Min ing and Mechanical Engineers, during a discussion upon the com pression of air, attention was called to an apparent anomaly in the phenomena attending the compression. At a subsequent meeting this apparent anomaly was explained by Prof. Herschel, and all the facts observed shown to be strictly in accordance with the laws of thermodynamics. Upon reading the report of the discussion in the published transactions of the society, it occurred to me that an attempt to determine mathematically the amounts of energy (whether in the form of heat or of work) expended and absorbed in compressing air, and causing it to perform work by expansion, might prove of use to some who have not access to any treatise upon the application of the laws of thermodynamics to the compression of air, and who have not the time or the inclination to make such application for themselves. The apparent anomaly noticed was this: If air be compressed, and at the same time, by the sufficient application of a cooling medium, kept at a constant temperature, the indicator diagrams in the

By Edward B. Westphal

One of the purest gypsum deposits in the United States is located in northwest Oklahoma about 90 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. Gypsum beds of the Blaine Formation (Permian) are each 10 to 15 feet thick and 97 to 99 percent pure; they are being quarried by four companies in the area. Most of the stone mined by U.S. Gypsum Company is calcined for the manufacturing of wallboard and special plasters, but some of the crude gypsum is marketed for cement manufacture and for use as soil conditioner. Reclamation of the mined lands at Southard, Oklahoma, has been carried out since 1968, and the company is now involved in a cooperative program of land revegetation to aid in erosion control, provide for wildlife, and for beautification.

Jan 1, 1978

By Edward Roberts

This is a progress report of an investigation by personnel of the Bureau of Mines from June to September 1951 to introduce preservative chemicals into growing timber. It also describes in detail the impregnation process, known as the collar method, developed by the United States Department of Agriculture2/ Twenty-eight trees were treated by this method, and a complete record was kept of each individual tree and of each timber cut from it. These timbers have been placed in a coal mine, and their tendency to decay is compared to that of adjacent untreated sets. Although several years will be required before final conclusions can be drawn, this report explains the appearance and encouraging results of the treated timber to date. Also included are some comparative costs of untreated timber, treated timber by the commercial pressure method, and treated timber by the collar method. INTRODUCTION In the hope of increasing the useful life of cut timber, experiments to impregnate growing trees with wood-preservative chemicals by utilizing the natural flow of sap have been carried on for centuries. None of the various methods used in these experiments has ever gained any widespread use because they have been commercially impractical.

Jan 1, 1953

By R. S. Austin

One third of the world's and most US kaolin is produced from Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary sedimentary strata in Georgia and South Carolina. The kaolin is part of a belt extending to Arkansas of aluminous lateritic deposits, including bauxite. Original sediments were profoundly altered by chemical weathering during Early Tertiary time. Mining exploits those uncommon deposits where extreme leaching and chemical recombination have produced a clay of nearly pure mineral kaolinite. . Its whiteness, brightness, fine particle size, platelet shape, surface chemistry, and chemical composition make kaolin an important pigment, filler, extender and chemical compound in the paper, paint, plastics, ceramics and catalyst industries.

Jan 1, 1998

By U. N. Bhrany, J. H. Brown

The specifications of particle size and the size analyses of fine particulate materials are commonly presented without reference to the method of analysis. A review of the various sizing methods showed that not only numerous sources of error but also different definitions of size are inherent in the different methods of analysis. To demonstrate the magnitude of the differences, the size distribution of finely crushed quartz was determined by several methods and a critical comparison of the data was made. The experimental results show that appreciably different sizes may be indicated for one material depending on the method of analysis used. However, because the shape of the size-distribution curves determined by almost all methods was constant, a simple method of correlating the data can be adopted. Conversion factors, by which size measurements obtained by the various methods can be expressed in terms of screen sizes, are presented as one method of correlating the results. The size analysis and size specification for lump rock and particulate materials are commonly determined with sieves. With this technique, a readily reproducible measure of size can be obtained merely by duplicating the sieve and the method of sizing. For coarse materials, such as lumps of rock, this technique is simple and effective; and the effects of properties of the material such as shape can be readily understood. When very small particles are measured, however, problems arise. Small sieves are difficult to construct and maintain, and size separations become sensitive to the analytical procedure. For these difficult sieve sizes and for still smaller particles, other sizing techniques employing, for example, sedimentation, light extinction, and microscopy are available. Because these various techniques employ different size-dependent responses to establish size, it is appropriate to examine them and the results they yield to determine their relationships and their limitations. The 'size' of a lump of rock is not an absolute quantity, but rather a defined one. With sieves, for example, the size is defined by the screen aperture and no reference is made to the actual shape of the particle, yet only in the case of a regular body, such as a sphere, can the sieve size be related to the shape. With sieves only two dimensions of a particle can be suggested, for the sieve makes no allowance for the length of the particle passing through an aperture. Similarly, the size of a particle as measured by a microscopic technique need bear no relationship to the size as measured by sieves, although the two measurements may be related statistically. In fact, all size measurements are not only defined quantities, but the measurement actually used is an average that is controlled by the technique employed and, hopefully, reflects the property in question of the material of interest. Many papers have been presented that illustrate the accuracy of the various sizing methods, present the advantages of certain methods for certain applications, and describe the principles and technical backgrounds of the various methods. No attempt will be made in the present paper to review this work in detail. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the limitations of the various sizing methods, and to demonstrate experimentally the relationships between the sizes as determined by the various methods of analysis. It is hoped that by recognition of these limitations and relationships, errors in size specification and size interpretation will be avoided. REVIEW OF SIZING METHODS In specifying the size of a material, not only the data but also the method of measurement must be stated. For example, the size of the lump might be specified as its total volume, as its weight, as its maximum dimension, or as its minimum cross section; any one definition might be completely satisfactory for one problem, but not for another. In practice, size analyses follow four basic approaches and fortunately, the conditions that restrict each approach are known. These major methods include: 1) screen analysis, 2) direct measurement of particle dimensions, 3) determination of equivalent spherical size in response to fluid flow, and 4) specific surface determination. Each of these techniques has several variations and some new techniques are also available, but the limitations of the basic techniques are sufficient to permit at least a preliminary

Jan 1, 1962

By R. W. Pauls

"Many tens of thousands of hectares of forested land will be disturbed and reclaimed in the surface mineable Athabasca oil sands area during the next few decades. The surface area disturbed by Syncrude’s Mildred Lake development alone exceeds 10 000 ha to date. It is not clear that reforestation of disturbed areas will best accommodate the aspirations of all stakeholders, particularly traditional users of the land. A five-year research program by Syncrude Canada Limited and the Fort McKay First Nations has examined the feasibility of raising bison on land reclaimed after disturbance by oil sands development. Forage productivity and carrying capacity for bison was comparable to that of grasslands elsewhere in Alberta. Concerns regarding compaction of newly rebuilt soil by bison traffic proved unfounded. Bison demonstrated weight gains typical for ranched bison and calving rates averaged 90%, a value typical for ranched bison. The animal husbandry problems encountered were typical of those occurring on bison ranches elsewhere in Alberta. An economic analysis indicates that a 1000 ha bison ranch on reclaimed land has a net present value that compares very favourably with a similar area supporting commercial forest. Subject to approval by Alberta Environmental Protection, the current research project will be expanded as a pilot commercial ranching venture in order to explore its commercial viability as a business venture by the Fort McKay First Nations. At the same time, measures will be implemented to resolve various regulatory issues associated with commercial bison production in the oil sands area.BackgroundSyncrude Canada Ltd. (Syncrude) is proposing, in its land reclamation strategy, a feature that is, depending on one’s background and perspective, regarded as an innovative approach to land reclamation, a threat to the regional forest industry, a creative response to aboriginal stakeholder concerns, a reneging on reclamation commitments, an opportunity to provide an ongoing economic base for postoil sands regional economy, or an environmentally unsound use of the land. These diverse and sometimes strong reactions have been generated by the proposal to introduce bison, either free-ranging or commercial ranched, to the reclaimed landscape."

Jan 1, 1999

By Leonard Obert

THIS REPORT presents methods and principles useful in designing underground mine openings and pillars in competent rock formations. Two types of formations are considered: (1) Massive formations, in which openings are generally mined with an arched roof, and (2) bedded formations, in which openings are generally mined with a flat roof. Design principles for openings and pillars in massive formations are obtained by considering the maximum tangential stresses developed around single and multiple openings for stress fields of various types. Design principles for openings and pillars in bedded formations are obtained by considering the average stress in pillars and the maximum stresses in roof layers. Experimental procedures for making stress, strain, and in situ physical-property measurements in underground mines to check design calculations are outlined and the results discussed.

Jan 1, 1960

By D. D. Smith, D. P. Squier, E. L. Dougherty

A system of differential equations describing the temperature behavior of fluid injected at constant surface temperature in a well is derived and .solved analytically. A formula for the fluid temperature at any time and depth is given, as well us a special formula valid for very large times. These formulas are used to calculate temperatures for several typical cases. The results indicate that, initially, the temperature of the water entering the formation is considerably lower than the injection temperature. This condition lasts for only a short period— less than three days for most cases of practical interest. Following this highly transient period, during which the temperature of the fluid entering the formation builds up to about 50 to 75 per cent of the injection temperature. the system enters a quasi-steady state in which the temperature changes are very slow. After severl years, the bottom-hole temperature will still be 50" to 100°F lower than the injection temperature, hilt the heat losses may he tolerable. INTRODUCTION Predicting the behavior of a hot-water flood requires that the temperature of the water entering the injection interval be estimated. This report describes the development and solution of a system of equations which describes the temperature behavior of the injected water in the wellbore with certain simplifying assumptions. The only previous means known to the authors for describing such a process is that of Moss and White.' Their results appear to be close to those obtained by our method in the practical cases which were compared; this agreement is largely due to the fact that in our method temperature soon approaches a quasi-steady state, as was assumed in their method throughout. However, our model covers all times, is continuous (whereas the Moss-White model depends on breaking the depth into discrete intervals) and. we feel. more closely describes the physical problem. FORMULATION OF THE PROBLEM PHYSICAL SYSTEM AND ASSUMPTIONS The injection procedure consists of pumping water at a fixed surface temperature T., down an infinitely long cylindrical well or tubing of inner radius Any material exterior to the water column such as mud, casing, or cement is regarded as part of the formation. The general behavior of the system may be described qualitatively as follows. When the hot water is first introduced into the system, the temperature difference between the formation and the water is large, resulting in a high rate of heat transfer. As a result, the temperature adjacent to the wellbore rises very quickly. Because the segment of the formation adjacent to the wellbore largely controls the heat transfer rate, the heat transfer rate will become relatively constant when this portion has reached a temperature close to that of the water opposite it. The temperature of the water and formation then increase very slowly with time. The length of the initial highly transient period and the temperature of the water at its conclusion will be functions of depth, injection rate, injection-string radius, surface injection temperature and the physical properties associated with the water-formation system. The following additional assumptions were made. 1. There is no heat transfer by radiation in the system. 2. There is no heat transfer by conduction in the vertical direction in either the injection stream or the formation. 3. The linear volumetric and mass flow rate of the water is constant throughout the injection stream. 4. No horizontal temperature gradient exists in the injection stream. 5. The product of density and heat capacity is constant for both the water and the formation, and the formation thermal conductivity is constant. 6. Initially, both the water in the wellbore and the reservoir are at a temperature given by the (constant) ambient surface temperature plus the product of depth and geothermal gradient (assumed constant). At large distances for the wellbore (r m), the formation will remain at this temperature. 7. The water temperature and the formation temperature at r — r,, are equal for all depths D. DERIVATION OF EQUATIONS The differential equation satisfied by the fluid temperature T,(D, t), which is obtained by writing a heat balance on a cylindrical differential of volume dV of the injection string between the depths D and D i dD, is

By T. M. Barczak

Many of the support concepts currently used in the United States originated in South Africa. These products include the Hercules Crib1, Propsetter, MX Prop, Rocprop, and Spider Prop. Another recent development has been the introduction of hydraulic prestressing units, such as the Jackpot system, to various U.S. standing support systems. Several other prop-type supports with similarities to systems used in South Africa are in use in U.S. coal mines. Some exciting new developments that improve the installation and yield performance of props are also underway. In addition to prop-type supports, crib-type supports and single-unit systems such as the Can support are also frequently utilized in longwall tailgates in the U.S. The goal in U.S. support development is to enhance roof support capability while alleviating material handling barriers to reduce injuries associated with support handling and installation. Support products are generally full-scale tested at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the unique Mine Roof Simulator load frame. The performance testing protocol is designed to simulate the full range of load conditions that occur in underground mining to identify the performance deficiencies and limitations of the support products. Once the products complete the performance evaluation, they are implemented into the NIOSH Support Technology Optimization Program (STOP). STOP is a window’s based software program that was developed by NIOSH for facilitating the design of standing roof support systems. STOP has become an industry standard to compare the performance capabilities and facilitate the application of these support products into various mining conditions. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the support design and application philosophy in the United States.

By Tony B. Szwilski

A short study has been made of the underground mining potential in the Plains region, the Province of Alberta, Canada. Particular reference is made to the possible application of longwall mining: Presently underground mining is limited to small scale room-and- pillar methods. The problems anticipated with large scale mining at shallow depths (30 m) are examined. Production factors based upon longwall retreat mining utilizing shield supports are also considered.

Jan 1, 1981

By G. S. Rao

Levitated drops of Fe-18%Cr-2%C were reacted with oxygen-argon mixtures to study the reactions that occur in the AOD process, where the gases are injected into the melt and form bubbles. In the laboratory an argon-oxygen pulse, followed by pure argon, was flowed past the levitated drop to simulate the transient conditions in the gas phase as the bubbles rise in the melt. Oxide layers formed on the drops immediately when they came into contact with gas pulses containing 75% or more oxygen. Once the oxygen flow had ceased, the oxides reacted with the carbon in the drops to form CO gas and eventually disappeared. The de-carburization reaction occurred without oxide formation when the gas contained 50% oxygen or less. Melts that were sampled after EAF tapping, ready to be charged into the AOD, showed a higher tendency to oxide formation and consequent carbon boil than pure ternary Fe-18%Cr-2%C alloys made in the laboratory. The actual steel samples contained significant impurities, such as 0.25% Si and 0.56% Mn. A similar effect of oxide-forming impurities had been observed previously with binary Fe-C alloys. Movies were taken of the oxide formation and decomposition, and the results will be presented, along with data on the experimental conditions, including temperature and oxide compositions. The results are important because they give an insight into the reaction mechanisms in the AOD, which must be understood in order to improve and model the process.

Jan 1, 2006

By L. W. Holm

This study shows that in the presence of foam, gas and liquid flow separately through porous media representative of reservoir rock. These results were obtained by using tracer techniques to measure the flow of the gas and liquid comprising the foam. Foam does not flow through the porous medium as a body even when the liquid and gas are combined outside the system and injected as foam. Instead, the liquid and gas forming the foam separate as the foam films break and then re-form in the porous system. Liquid moves through the porous medium via the film network of the bubbles and gas moves progressively through the system by breaking and re-forming bubbles throughout the length of the flow path. The flow rates of the gas and liquid are a function of the number and strength of the films in the porous medium. There is no free flow of gas; i.e., no continuous gas phase. On the basis of these results, foam can be expected to improve a water flood or gas drive by decreasing the permeability of the reseruoir rock to a displacing liquid or gas. This improves the mobility ratio and thus the conformance of the flood. INTRODUCTION Foam is formed when gas and a solution of a surface active agent are injected into a porous medium either simultaneously or intermittently. During the past few years, several papers have been published on the subject of foam flow in Dorous media. Foam has been used successfully in the removal of capillary water blocks from producing formations.''2 The use of foam in gas storage reservoirs to reduce gas leaks and to increase storage capacity has been considered in recent years. Foam has also been investigated as an oil displacing agent,3-5 and as an agent to improve the mobility ratio in a waterflood.6-10 However, the mechanism by which the gas and liquid phases comprising the foam flow through a porous medium has nor been described adequately. Normally, when two immiscible phases (gas and liquid) flow concurrently through a porous medium, each phase follows separate paths or channels. At given saturations of the two phases, a certain number of channels are available to each phase, and as saturations change, the number and configuration of the channels available for each phase also change. The effective permeability of each phase is a function of the saturation of that phase only, and the flow of each phase can be described by Darcy's law. When foam is present, the effective permeability of the porous medium to each phase is greatly reduced compaced with permeabilities measured in the absence of foam.6,11-13 Based upon the observed flow of surfactant solutions and gas in capillaries, it has been concluded that the gas and liquid may flow separately or they may flow combined as foam. At least four mechanisms have been postulated to explain how fluids flow with foam present: 1. A large portion of the gas is trapped in the porous medium and a small fraction flows as free gas, following Darcy's law.9 2. The foam structure moves as a body; the rate of gas flow is the same as the rate of liquid flow. 6,13 3. Gas flows as a discontinuous phase by breaking and re-forming films. Liquid flows as a free phase.12 4. A portion of the liquid and gas move as a foam body while excess surfactant solution moves as a free phase.14 It also has been suggested that different flow mechanisms exist for high quality (dry) foams made from dilute surfactant solutions and for foams made from more concentrated solutions. Studies conducted on the flow of foam through capillaries have shown that a plug-type flow occurs and that foam flows as a body.6,15 Fried also has described the flow of foam through porous media as

Jan 1, 1969

By Oliver Bowles

Calcareous rocks, of which the principal varieties are marble and lime¬stone, are used extensively for building and ornamental purposes. Onyx and travertine, subdivisions of these groups, are sufficiently distinctive in origin and use to merit separate classification. The purpose of this paper is to define the terms "onyx" and "travertine" and to describe the occurrences and uses of the materials bearing these names. ORIGIN AND CHARACTER Confusion exists in the use of the word "onyx." True onyx is a banded chalcedony, a form of silicon dioxide related to jasper, agate, and flint. Calcium carbonate is commonly deposited from solution in successive layers of varying color closely resembling onyx, and for this reason such calcareous rock is also called "onyx." To distinguish the calcareous from the siliceous

Jan 1, 1940