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By D Mcleod, S Brindley, S Green

The design and engineering of flotation circuits is driven by numerous inputs, including (in no particular order) testwork outcomes, site considerations, type of separation required, energy sensitivity of the flotation response, personal experience and preference for flotation machines, maintenance access requirements, operability, level of automation and capital constraints.This paper discusses these and other issues in the Australian context and covers the flotation of copper/gold ores and polymetallic (copper/lead/zinc) ores. The paper discusses aspects of the following: how should testwork be done and what are the important inputs and outcomes? how should testwork results be interpreted and how does this impact on equipment selection? what processes can have a critical impact on flotation circuit performance, eg thickening and regrind? what options are available with the typical æflatÆ Australia site? how do you minimise capital cost and what impact can this have on flotation circuit operation and maintenance? how should circuits be controlled and operated? Particular focus is placed on some practical aspects of process design and engineering and the potential impact that engineering decisions can have on flotation plant operation.

Jan 1, 2005

By Hyunsuk Yoon, Kiho Lee, Juhyng Lee, Younghoon Jung, Junboum Park

"The environmental double pile method is presented as a device to improve the engineering properties and to clean up contamination of low-permeability soil. This method is one of the novel technologies based on the concept of one step process. It can be applied to low permeable contaminated ground for site reuse. It uses piles to improve drainage, contaminant remediation, and bearing capacity of the ground. To evaluate the on-site applicability of this technology, drainage and strength properties of the environmental double pile were assessed by a series of experiments and numerical analysis. Environmental double pile was found to be a feasible alternative method to improve contaminated soft ground.Korea is a peninsula with many coastal industrial zones. These zones are located in regions mostly underlain by soft ground with low permeability and adjacent to industrial areas that can be contaminated. Therefore, a new region-specific remediation method is required to achieve environmentally sustainable development. This research introduces the Environmental Double Pile (hereinafter, refer to as EDP) for the lowpermeability contaminated ground and focused on both contaminant remediation and soft ground improvement. Basically, the EDP is quite similar to sand compaction pile (SCP). The SCP has been studied extensively to improve soft ground (Braja 1999; Hansbo 1994; Madhav and others 1978; Taylor 1948). But unlike SCP, EDP is filled with oyster shells instead of sand and an inner pile is inserted in the center of this oyster shell filled-zone. Therefore, it is a double pile consisting of the oyster shell pile and the inner pile, as depicted in Fig. 1."

Jan 1, 2005

By J Ralston, G B. N Kaggwa, L Huynh

Three polymers of varying chemistries and molecular weights have been used to depress talc in a model sulfide ore consisting of talc, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite. Flotation testing revealed a distinct hierarchy of effectiveness of the polymers in the depression of talc (HP Starch > Polymer-H > Dextrin WY) but a different order of effectiveness for depression selectivity (Dextrin WY > Polymer-H > HP Starch). Adsorption isotherm determinations for the gangue and valuable mineral phases indicate that the differences in selectivity are partially due to adsorbed amount variations, with Dextrin WY adsorbing marginally less on the sulfides than Polymer-H. Contact angle measurements on packed particle beds have revealed that the polymers have differing abilities to reduce the contact angle of talc and the sulfide minerals. An explanation of the observed trends is given in terms of the binding mechanisms of the polymers on the talc and the sulfide mineral phases. Order of addition effects between collector and depressant were also investigated using adsorption isotherm determinations for the polymers in the presence of a pre-adsorbed layer of collector and vice versa. Adsorption of the polymers was not affected by the presence of the collector. Similar results were obtained for the adsorption of collector in the presence of pre-adsorbed layers of polymer.

Jan 1, 2005

By D Mnller, J L. Mauk

The Oblaga Cu-Au skarn deposit and porphyry prospect is located in the south-eastern edge of the Gobi Desert in western Inner Mongolia. The deposit occurs within metamorphosed middle Paleozoic volcanic, plutonic and sedimentary rocks.   Ivanhoe geologists recognise eight main rock types in the area. Calcareous sediments include conglomerate, interlayered siltstone-sandstone, and limestone. Covering the calcareous sediments is a slab of thrusted biotite granite, and above it is rhyodacitic lithic tuff which, in places, is overlain by alluvial sediments. Various plutonic rocks and related intrusion breccias have intruded these units. Monzodiorite, quartz-monzonite and monzonite tend to form thin, high-angle intrusions and the youngest andesitic intrusions are generally wider and subhorizontal.   The Oblaga Cu-Au skarn, which occurs in the calcareous sediments, shows typical prograde and retrograde mineralogy. Petrographic studies show that prograde skarn minerals have been overprinted by retrograde skarn minerals, and original host rock minerals have been texturally obliterated and completely replaced. The mineralogy of the Oblaga skarn deposit is very similar to other Cu-Au skarn deposits worldwide.   Sericitic and minor chloritic alteration occurs throughout the study area and may relate to porphyry-style mineralisation. Generally, this alteration is not intense and most rocks have retained their original texture. Geochemical analyses suggest that K-metasomatism is not widespread at Oblaga. XRD analyses suggest an upward and outward transition from sericitic to chloritic alteration.   Comparisons between Oblaga and other porphyry Cu-Au deposits worldwide show that Oblaga has very similar characteristics to deposits that have undergone sericitic alteration. However, Oblaga is special because it also has relatively intense chloritic alteration, which is uncommon in other porphyry Cu deposits described in the literature.

Jan 1, 2005

Based upon specialised experience of rope mechanics spanning over 20 years, this paper reviews the processes of degradation and fatigue that are relevant to hoisting ropes in mines. The review is brought up to date with an account of the most recent work in this field, which identifies a torsional fatigue process and quantifies the impact of degradation upon the residual service life. A proper understanding of these processes is important in determining how different parameters of hoist design and operation interact to determine rope life. This knowledge is also important in informing decisions relating to rope discard based upon observed condition, as well is identifying the critical features that must be quantified reliably during inspection.

Jan 1, 2005

By L. L. Lacerda, A. J. Blair

The Wolf Creek Upper Narrows Tunnel (Upper Narrows Tunnel) is one of the first major highway tunnel in the United States implementing the use of spray-on membrane for purposes of constructing a double-shell drainage solution between an initial shotcrete lining and a final cast-in-place concrete lining (Figure 1). In the case of the Upper Narrows Tunnel the primary membrane is constructed with a spray-on product manufactured by Degussa, namely Masterseal® 340 FA (MS 340) that has been utilized previously in other tunnel projects. Shotcrete-like in application, but differing in physical properties, MS 340 is now outdated, and is succeeded by Masterseal® 345 (MS 345), a nearly identical product, with improvements in material properties. Tunnel project histories utilizing either MS 340 or MS 345 are discussed and summarized with regard to the respective motives for prompting spray-on membrane selection and the realized benefits resulting from spray-on membrane construction. With an emphasis on the Upper Narrows Tunnel, project summaries discuss details of the aspects of design for spray-on membrane construction methodology as opposed to conventional sheet membrane construction methodologies. It is anticipated that experience gained during the construction of the Upper Narrows Tunnel with respect to other tunnel projects that have utilized spray-on membrane will be of use for future tunnels employing spray-on membrane in drainage solutions.

Jan 1, 2005

Numerical modelling is a valuable tool for simulating the fundamental processes that take place during a heating. The models presented in this paper have enabled a quantitative assessment of the effects of initial pile temperature, pile size and mass and coal particle size on the development of a heating. All of these parameters have a certain criticality in the coal self-heating process.

Jan 1, 2005

By Tom George

"INTRODUCTIONNo. 1 Queens Rd was an existing 10-storey office building founded on large pad footings. This project involved the construction of a 6-level, 15m (50-ft.) deep basement excavated immediately adjacent to the existing building and also beneath the existing footprint of the Southern end of the building. The total perimeter of the new basement was to be approximately 200m (656 ft.) all with a retained height of 15m (50 ft.). It was also proposed to add a further 5 storeys to the building. Approximately 18 of the existing columns supporting the 10-storey building were to have the applied column load diverted from the existing foundations at ground level onto the new piles or basement raft 15m (50 ft.) below.The geotechnical profile consisted of fill for the top 1.5m predominately comprising of clayey sand with a high gravel content from 1.5m to 9m (5 to 30 ft.), a medium dense to dense clayey sand and then below was a sandy clay extending to 15m (50 ft.) ranging from stiff to very stiff. From 15m on completely to extremely weathered siltstone was encountered. The groundwater was measured at 9.5m (31 ft.) below the natural ground surface.DESIGN BRIEFThe existing building columns were founded on large pad foundations up to 4.4m (14.5 ft.) square, founded on the dense clayey sand. These pads would require temporary support to enable the excavation to proceed beneath them. Upon completion of the excavation under the pads new columns were to be constructed joining into the existing columns to transfer the load onto the new raft slab, 15m (50 ft.) below. The existing 10 floors were to be refurbished. It was planned to undertake all the temporary support and transferring of loads while the structure above was only able to provide a dead load. It was decided that any movement of the building would have minimum impact on a skeleton structure. During the temporary support of the columns, movements due to construction activities had to be monitored to understand any potential stresses in the structure above.The original design required beams to be installed under the pads and supported at either end by temporary piles that were to be founded below the level of the proposed excavation. (Refer to sketch 1). Wagstaff Piling considered that this methodology had difficulties in construction at all stages and did not provide facility for transfer of the load without significant movement of the structure above. Wagstaff Piling revised the design to attach beams to the columns above the pads using shear collars. (Refer to sketch 2). These beams supported on the temporary piles could then be jacked upwards to remove loads off the pads. This would enable removal of the pads with minimal movement of the 10-storey building above. (Refer to photo 1 and back cover photo)."

Jan 1, 2005

This report will differ slightly from the traditional scientific and technical discussions given at this type of conference. It will focus on the personal experiences and choices that I undertook when deciding on my graduate position and location after completing university studies. Throughout the duration of my course I had experience in both fly-in, fly-out operations in the Pilbara and residential operations in the West Australian Goldfields. These experiences, though limited, allowed me to explore the two different methods and their pros and cons, and consequently to make my choice for graduate employment. Throughout the duration of my degree I believed it was important to gain a basic understanding of the two methods, focusing on lifestyle and personal interactions. The decision that a residential site suited my personality and lifestyle then allowed me to refine my job applications to a more specific list of mine sites and companies, resulting in a residential position with BHP Billiton at their Iron Ore operations in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

Jan 1, 2005

By C McInnes

The key to successful flotation plant design, production planning and mine/mill optimisation is a solid understanding of the resource to be processed. As advocated by the authors of this paper, the main components of geometallurgical modelling of an orebody and its associated flotation plant are: an ore sampling program and subsequent laboratory testing of these samples in order to extract process model parameters; geostatistical distribution throughout the resource model of the process parameters; calibration of the plant via benchmarking (for existing operations); and plant simulation using a system of process models and the distributed metallurgical parameters (from step two) as the data set.It is important that the grinding and flotation models are linked. For example, a laboratory test conducted on a drill core sample, intended to represent a portion of the orebody, is conducted at a specific grind (represented by a P80). However, when that ore is actually processed through the plant it may well be (and in many cases most likely will be) at another P80. Additionally, the flotation plant residence time will often be determined solely by the grinding circuit capacity and feed slurry density. In the case of SAG mill û ball mill circuits, the fluctuations in tonnage and grind are known to be high. The modelling approach described in this paper allows for changes in the measured flotation kinetic parameters in order to reflect the expected grind as determined by the comminution process.

Jan 1, 2005

By P H. Ferreira

The mechanisation of mine development is becoming increasingly important in our South African and Southern African mines with increased emphasis on safe and efficient mining. Raise, blind and shaft boring offer mechanised solutions for excavations such as:- [reef raises stope boxholes and shaft ore passes ventilation passes and shafts chairlifts large vertical hoisting shafts (in excess of 1200 metres in depth) angled hoisting shafts (from small to large diameter bored holes)] These techniques will be discussed with reference to relevant applications and the author?s comparison between conventional drill and blast techniques.

Jan 1, 2005

By D Thomas

Geochemical data related to AMD for the West Coast and Southland regions have been collated into a relational database and GIS system. The types of information include; rock geochemical data, water chemistry data and aquatic macro-invertebrate abundance data. This information will be combined with eco-toxicology experiments to determine impact thresholds on aquatic ecosystems. Ultimately these datasets will be combined with remediation investigations to produce a Framework to assist decision making related to mine planning, consent and compliance.   Current geochemical research examines the controls on As concentrations downstream of gold mining areas and the variability of AMD from Brunner Coal Measure rocks. Assessment of factors that control the chemistry of Brunner Coal Measure AMD such as mine type, hydrogeology, geology, geochemistry and climate is in progress. Minerals that control the concentration of aluminium downstream of AMD point sources include alunite, jurbanite and various forms of Al(OH)3.

Jan 1, 2005

By G. Deissman, S. Kistinger

For the last 15 years environmental Life-Cycle Assessments (LCA) have increasingly been used to evaluate the environmental performance of industrial processes and products and have been employed as a basis in decision making processes in the public and industrial sector. However, assessment methodologies for environmental protection measures and reclamation/remediation measures with respect to their consumption of natural resources are generally poorly developed. In this presentation a methodology for LCA of environmental protection measures and remedial actions, respectively is suggested, using the remediation/reclamation of mining sites as an example. Key aspect of this approach is the development of an evaluation method appropriate for environmental protection measures, which links the various impact indicators recognised in the impact assessments and allows their integrated assessment.

Jan 1, 2005

By J. Hindman, E. Moeller

Vermiculite is currently mined from shallow (less than 25 m or 80 ft) surface deposits throughout the world. The largest producers are Palabora Mining of Phalabowra, South Africa (ore stock is a phlogopitemica), Xinjiang Yuli Xinlong Vermiculite of Korla, China, and W.R. Grace of Enoree, SC (ore stock is a biotite mica). Smaller operations are in Australia, Brazil, Russia and Zimbabwe. They also produce vermiculite on a continuous basis but do not export any significant amounts of product to North America. Intermittent and poorly documented production on a minor scale is reported from Argentina, Egypt, India and Uganda. Worldwide vermiculite production in 2004 increased1.7 percent to 432.8 kt (477,000 st). North American production declined, while African and Chinese production continued to increase.

Jan 1, 2005

By D. M. Mubita

Dilution reduction is one of the areas that offer metal mines an opportunity to increase revenue and reduce costs, resulting in enhanced profits. Effective dilution control programmes require interaction on a multi-disciplinary level. This paper outlines recent initiatives undertaken at Konkola Mine to reduce dilution and increase revenue. The increase in revenue arising from reduced dilution and high factors between in situ and delivered to mill grades were quantified and amount to close to U$ 1.0 million per one per cent improvement in grade factor at a 75c/lb copper price. Sources of dilution from open and in?stope mining methods practised at the mine were identified and a multi-disciplinary dilution control forum set up to control these. Among the major achievements were the introduction of low dilution in-stope mining methods; the introduction of Gemcom geological and mining planning software to replace traditional pencil and paper methods, leading to better in situ estimation and production planning; enhanced control in open stopes through dilution awareness among mining production personnel; location of critical secondary development ends in correct positions; enhanced blast hole control; tracking of development waste by metal tracers and monthly tally; implementation of a cavity monitoring system to check over-breaks in open stopes; and setting up of a stope history database. The results from the cavity monitoring system showed that stopes with over-breaks of 5 metres or less could be controlled to break along the hangingwall contact.

Jan 1, 2005

By John McDonald, Peter C. Raleigh, Christopher Dishlip

This paper will discuss how the construction management team and the contractor working together on the City of Los Angeles, North East Interceptor Sewer project, managed information on a daily basis. Data was synthesized from various sources including: inspection, survey, instrumentation, laboratory and the tunnel boring machine data logger systems to produce state-of-the-art reports and graphics which will become industry standard. Special emphasis is placed on how the data is managed and interpreted in a clear and objective manner, permitting the tunneling processes to be carefully monitored and suggesting appropriate action to be taken by the construction management team and contractor.

Jan 1, 2005

By Frank P. Frandina, Diane R. Hirsch, David P. Field, Colin R. Weeks

To accommodate growth in air service and to follow the Master Plan for long-term airport development, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority established thed2 Development Program at Washington Dulles International Airport. A sub-surface Automated People Mover (APM) System is under construction to replace the Mobile Lounges as the primary people mover system at Dulles. To minimize disruption to airport operations the majority of the APM System’s crossings of Taxi lanes will be undertaken using Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) or the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM). This paper explores the planning and design of these shallow tunnel segments for future generation aircraft loads, within the constraints of minimal construction access under post 9/11 security requirements and the context of the overall airport expansion program.

Jan 1, 2005

By Y. Feng

Perovskite structured oxide 15% Y-doped BaCeO3 (BCY15) has been evaluated for use as proton conducting electrolyte in SOFC with propane as the fuel and Pt as both electrodes. Under the fuel cell conditions, BCY15 exhibited high proton conductivity and good cell performances. Propylene was detected as product at the anode outlet, and the product distribution suggests that propane dehydrogenation underwent competition with cracking to lighter hydrocarbons. Stability during cell performance tests showed that there was no obvious degradation for BCY15 electrolyte during operation of C3H8-O2 fuel cell.

Jan 1, 2005

By D. Limpitlaw, E. M. Hoadley

The minerals sector plays a significant role in the development of many Southern African economies. In the Southern Africa region, as in other developing regions, economic development is seen as the key contributor to poverty alleviation and social upliftment. The significant economic contribution of the minerals sector may be reduced by negative impacts on the biophysical environment and on the communities where mines operate. A critical variable in determining the net contribution of mining companies to SD is the degree of transparency with which the companies operate. Transparency is increasingly emphasised as an essential aspect of good governance and SD, but it is also difficult to establish, and is a sensitive issue for mining companies as they compete with each other for minerals sales. Transparent reporting could ensure that the interests of all stakeholders are addressed as company data is subject to informal ‘auditing’ by any interested party. This paper assesses published reports of five companies over a number of years to establish whether it is possible to make an assessment of the companies’ contribution to SD.

Jan 1, 2005

By S. A. Jacob

Magnesium sheet is notoriously difficult to form at low temperatures without initiating failure, In the present work cold rolling and annealing conditions are varied to produce samples of AZ3lB sheet with a range of grain sizes. The formability of these samples is investigated using tensile testing and forming limit diagrams (FLD's), The results are discussed in terms of twin types and frequencies.

Jan 1, 2005