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By Richard W. Graeme, James J. Komadina

Gold Fields acquired an option to purchase the Cerro Corona project, located in Hualgayoc, Cajamarca Department, Peru, in December 2003. In January 2006, the option was taken up and the transaction closed. During the intervening months, project development occurred against the backdrop of a presidential election, increasing national social activism and environmental regulation, rapidly escalating operating and capital costs, as well as an unprecedented demand for engineering and technical skills. Project “Lessons Learned” are discussed in the context of an evolving strategy. The Cerro Corona project forms part of a porphyry copper-gold deposit situated within the Hualgayoc Mining District in northern Peru. It is located in the highest part of the Western Cordillera of the Andes, close to the headwaters of the Atlantic Continental Basin. It lies approximately 90 km (56 miles) by road north of the Department of Cajamarca’s capital city and near the village of Hualgayoc. Access to the Cerro Corona project from Cajamarca is by two roads, one from Cajamarca to the Yanacocha Mine 45 km (28 miles), and then from Yanacocha to the village of Hualgayoc and the town of Bambamarca 45 km (28 miles).

Jan 1, 2007

By Charles Merguerian

In medium- to high-grade metamorphic terrains such as found in New York City(NYC), rock mass texture and mineralogy are important factors in predicting TBM penetration destiny. Integration of data from over two decades of traditional field and tunnel mapping suggest that hard-rock TBM penetration in the NYC area depends upon textural, mineralogic, and structural control. The bedrock of NYC consists of many different lithologic units of varying age, composition, texture, and metamorphic grade including many varieties of intrusive rock. In addition, brittle faults of numerous orientations cut the polydeformed crystalline bedrock, producing zones of highly fractured and disturbed ground and high water inflows. Pre-bid compilation of published bedrock data, drill core analysis by geologists to establish lithologic and mineralogic trends, integrated surface geologic mapping along a proposed alignment, and targeted petrographic and geotechnical investigations to characterize the rock mass conditions together constitute an important prelude to successful subsurface bidding and tunneling. A carefully planned program of as-built geological mapping, structural analysis, fracture class mapping, and monitoring of machine performance data provide important information for adjusting to changed conditions. In complex terrains, a clear understanding of the structural geology of any proposed tunnel line is the simplest and most cost-effective method to mitigate losses encountered during TBM tunneling.

Jan 1, 2005

By Charles A. Gargano

The current state of the mass transit industry in America will be examined. How and why this important urban activity shifted entirely, or almost entirely, from the private sector to the public sector. Who pays for transit? For day to day operating costs? For capital investment? The prospects for transit's future will be the next major issue addressed. In a word, they are rather good. Over the past decade there have been major new transit investments made in Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Miami, as well as constant re-investment in such cities as New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. While the current administration has put a temporary halt on the initiation of any major new rail transit projects using Federal funds, there are several mechanisms localities have for using other resources for such projects. These will be explored.

Jan 1, 1983

By L H. Warren

The types of equipment available for generating a plasma have been reviewed. The efficiency and potential of the plasma generating equipment used in performing extractive metallurgical reactions have been determined. A general classification of the reactions that might be per-formed in a plasma has been proposed. Experimental work done on extractive metallurgical plasma reactions, heat transfer between the plasma and solids, and the quench of the products of plasma reaction has been summarized. From the preliminary results it appears that the high-intensity are or the transpiration-cooled anode plasma torch offer the most promising areas for further research. C ONSIDERABLE world-wide research effort is currently being devoted to the development of processing technologies which employ the new high-temperature generating devices that have appeared over the past few years. The plasma flames produced by these devices offer the potential for subjecting materials to any single gas or mixture of gases at temperatures up to 20,000°K. With these conditions available, many reactions in extractive metallurgy,

Jan 1, 1965

By C. Liliane Carvalho

In the current study, bio-oxidation tests were carried out in shaking flasks with a flotation concentrate containing the sulphides pyrite, arsenopyrite and gudmidite. The tests were performed with mesophilic microorganisms (At. ferrooxidans) at 30 °C and also with the moderate thermophile S. thermosulfidooxidans, at 50 °C. The effects of (i) previous adaptation of the microorganisms to the concentrate, (ii) ferrous iron concentration and (iii) pulp density (2%, 4% and 6% (w/v)) on the dissolution of the sulphide were studied through arsenic extractions. S. thermosulfidooxidans was more sensitive to the pulp density in comparison to At. ferrooxidans as a reduction in sulphide oxidation was observed with the increase in the solid content to 6%. Therefore, the mesophilic strain was selected for further work, which comprised a rolling bottle experiment at 10% solids. After 40 days of bio-oxidation, the solid material was subjected to cyanidation, which revealed 85% gold extraction as compared to 21% from the original concentrate. The antimony sulphide grains in the bio-oxidized product showed similarity to what was observed in the original sample, suggesting such particles were not susceptible to the bio-oxidation process.

By J. A. Saunders, E. L. Rowan

It is now widely accepted that the metal-rich waters found in the oil wells are possible present-day analogues of the mineralising solutions that formed the Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits throughout mid-continental USA and elsewhere. A study characterising the trace-metal content provides additional circumstantial evidence for a genetic link between sediment-hosted mineral deposits and basin brines: Ag, Co, Ni, As and Mo, detected in the scale, are locally present in accessory minerals in MVT deposits and the levels of Ag found in the wells support the conclusion that sedimentary sources for silver should be considered in evaluating the origin of Pb-Zn-Ag deposits in sedimentary terrains

Jun 12, 1905

By K. G. Correia

The replacement of the dry mining method at Guajú Mine by the dredging method was a means of ensuring its feasibility by maintaining the production levels. Dry mining increased the cost of the deposit with the distance and presented a limited mined volume, while the decreasing grade of the deposit led to a production drop. With the new methodology, there was a considerable reduction in unit cost of the mine and an increase in the production level of a deposit with low heavy minerals content.

Jan 1, 2005

The thirty-first regular meeting of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute was called to order at 11: 10 o'clock A. M., Wednesday, June 22nd, 1932, President T. H. Butler presiding. The Honorable Louis Marcus, Mayor of Salt Lake City, delivered the address of welcome. On motion of W. H. Bachman and seconded by D. J. Parker, it was voted that, inasmuch as the Minutes are printed in the annual bulletin, the reading of them be dispensed with. The President made his annual report. The Secretary-Treasurer made his annual report of the financial condition of the Institute. R. Dawson Hall addressed the meeting. The following committees were appointed by the President: Auditing-L. P. Pearce, Chairman; Joseph, Parmley, R. R. Knill. Nominating John Emrick, Chairman; D. J. Parker, John Marks. Resolutions-D. R. Wilson, Chairman; H. Petersen, Robert Williams, Jr. There being no further business to come before the meeting, the same was adjourned at 11: 55 o'clock A. M.

Jan 1, 1932

By Maryam Ghodrat, Bijan Samali

Disposal of waste syringes in a safe and eco-friendly way has been an issue of considerable scale for decades. The generated amount of waste syringes has escalated with the rapid growth in population and wide acceptance towards single-use medical devices. Some hospitals have their own on-site incinerators ,but recent tightening of air quality regulations and landfill levies led to the closure of manyon-site incinerators. The solution to this problem implicates the development of an environmentally-sound method that would employ these waste materials. This work investigates a thermodynamic modelling approach for incineration treatment of waste plastic syringes in Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steelmaking. Mass balance was obtained from HSC Chemistry thermochemical package. The results indicate that the rate of iron oxide reduction in the slag is higher when coke is partially replaced by waste plastic syringes. Furthermore, the amount of dust and stack gas emission was reduced by around 0.4% and 1.25% respectively by replacing 20%-weight of pure coke with waste plastic syringes. The study demonstrates part of the coke can be successfully replaced by waste plastic syringes in electric arc furnace to provide additional energy from combustion without affecting the main process.

Mar 1, 2018

By Nasser Madani, Yerbol Tussupbekov, Sergei Sabanov, Zarina Mukhamedyarova

A case study was conducted on a metal mine operating in Kazakhstan, in which problems were associated with use of a complicated and outdated ventilation system and its high expenses. The mine needs to reconsider its existing ventilation system and identify the risks associated with operational losses when using this ventilation system. The aim of this study was to develop an efficient risk analysis method capable of estimating operational risks and financial benefits of the existing mine ventilation system. The developed risk analysismethod considers ventilationmodelling, riskmodelling, and financialmodelling.Ventilation modelling comprises ventilation simulation and ventilation financial simulation. In risk modelling, the number of risk events occurring with the use of existing ventilation system and the operational losses during these events is estimated. Financial modelling considers operational losses and ventilation financial simulation benefits and uses a dynamic cash flow model to estimate how cost variability influences the cash flow. As a result, the improved ventilation system attains an additional NPVa ranging from 3.2 to 8.5 million US$ at the corresponding defined probability of 90%. The results of this study reveal that the developed risk analysis method can efficiently estimate the financial benefits of ventilation modelling and consider risk events and their total operational losses associated with use of the existing ventilation system. This approach provides a range of possible outcomes and helps with deciding whether the ventilation system is appropriate or whether it should be updated to better suit the project financial benefits.

Jun 3, 2020

By Richard A. Allwes

This Bureau of Mines report presents a procedure for the design of an arch canopy for use in rehabilitating a high-roof-fall area. Only dy-namic line loading of an unbackfilled arch canopy at its crown is considered, and the procedure does not account for an asymmetrical loading condition. The evaluation of whether an arch canopy is suitable for a particular installation depends on many variables, including in-mine conditions and the engineering properties of the structure. However, a general evaluation can be based on a comparison of the arch's maximum crown deflection and a prescribed allowable crown deflection. The design procedure is based on the concept that when an arch canopy is sub-jected to impact loading at its crown and deflects from its unloaded state to maximum crown deflection, the structure absorbs strain energy, both elastic and plastic. As a result, this strain energy can be calculated from a static load-displacement diagram for the structure. The significance of this design procedure is that it gives mine personnel an analytical tool to select an arch canopy to meet the dimensional and functional requirements of a mine entry and a prescribed allowable crown deflection.

Jan 1, 1987

By M. Craig Miller

As the trend continues in the U. S. toward inceased capital investment in longwall mining equipment and wider panels. the risk also increases for gotential financial and production loses due to undetected geologic anomalies. This paper describes how RIM Sm (Radio Imaging Method) is utilized in conjunction with more traditional exploration and interpretive methods to delineate fluvial channels. displacement faults and poor roof conditions in a Southeastern Ohio coal mine

Jan 1, 1990

By Sidney Katell

Covering the period from January 1961 through December 1961, this report is a continuation of the series that began with the publication of Information Circular 7516 in October 1949. It is also the third report in the series to be prepared as a cooperative effort by the Bureau of Mines and the American Association of Cost Engineers. The cooperative agreement between the two groups provides for the publication of an annual cost bibliography with the work load involved in the preparation shared equally. The abstracted articles, concerned with all facets of cost engineering in the field of chemical and petroleum plants and related facilities, came from the following sources: 1. A.A.C.E. Bulletin. 2. Bureau of Mines Information Circulars. 3. Bureau of Mines Reports of Investigation. 4. Chemical Engineering. 5. Chemical Engineering Progress. 6. Chemical Week. 7. Coal Age. 8. Coal Utilization. 9. Cost Engineering. 10. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 11. Nucleonics 12. Oil and Gas Journal. 13. Petroleum Engineer for Management. 14. Petroleum Refiner. 15. World Oil.

Jan 1, 1962

By H. R. Pierce

A gas well has a certain definite capacity to deliver gas from the gas sand through the producing string of pipe. This capacity depends upon the pressures in the sand; that is, a well will deliver gas at a rate of flow which is determined by the formation or "shut-inn pressure in the sand and the back pressure at the face of the sand in the well. The three factors, rate of flow, formation or "shut-in" pressure, and the back pressure, for a given well, can be written into a fundamental relation which is strictly applicable only to that well. This relation can be used to determine the capacity of the well to deliver gas from any formation pressure against any back pressure held at the f ace of the sand in the well. Studies have been made of the deliveries of 400 gas wells operating under different conditions of pressure, Most of the wells which have been studied are in Osage County, Okla.; however, several representative studies have been made on wells in southern Louisiana, southern Texas, the Texas Panhandle, and West Virginia.

Jan 1, 1929

By Renzon Daniel Cosme Pecho

O consumo do carvão mineral no mundo se encontra em aumento nos últimos anos, devido ao aumento dos preços dos combustíveis fósseis. No caso do Brasil, o carvão mineral é de baixa qualidade contendo, por exemplo, elevado teor de cinzas. Desta forma, o beneficiamento do carvão mineral gera uma quantidade grande de rejeito (RJ) que em contato com a água da chuva é responsável pela conhecida formação da drenagem acido. Alguns trabalhos vêm sendo propostos para contornar este inconveniente, alguns voltados para o aproveitamento do enxofre contido, outros pensando na geração de um possível condicionador de solos ou ainda na obtenção de absorventes para tratamento de efluentes. Dentro deste contexto, o presente trabalho estuda uma possível utilização do rejeito de carvão mineral do sul de Brasil através da extração de Ácido Húmico (AH) e a subsequente utilização deste no tratamento de efluentes. O trabalho reporta o uso da eletrooxidação do RJ seguido da caracterização do AH obtido por analise elementar e espectroscopia de 13C RMN CP/MAS. A etapa de aplicação do AH foi conduzida através de uma avaliação sobre a remoção de Pb+2 contido em uma solução sintética. A extração do AH consumiu cerca dos 12% da massa do RJ e a sua caracterização indicou um componente aromático de 54%, seguido pelos grupos alifáticos (34%). A proporção de grupos contendo oxigênio foi relativamente da ordem de 6% de O-alquilo, 3% de COO- e 3% de C=O.

Aug 8, 2018

By Shigeru Ueda, Shin-ya Kitamura, Shohei Koizumi, Xu Gao

Steelmaking slag was confirmed to be a useful fertilizer for paddy growth as it efficiently supplies Ca and Si to soil water. In addition, supplement of Fe from slag fertilizer has been expected to suppress the H2S generation in paddy soil, especially for the degraded paddy soil. However, on the basis of our previous research, the Fe dissolution ability changed with slag brands, and even some brands could dissolve Fe under paddy soil pH, the supplying ability were not high. To improve Fe dissolution, we found that among various kinds of Fe-rich mineralogical phases in slag, the CaO–SiO2–FeO glassy phase showed highest water solubility of Fe. Because the CaO–SiO2–FeO glassy phase was a quenched molten phase, its dissolution behavior may depend on chemical composition, and this is important for controlling slag composition to produce fertilizer which can easily release Fe. Therefore, in this research, the CaO–SiO2–FeO glassy phase of various CaO/SiO2 ratio, Fe2+/T–Fe ratios, and FeO contents were synthesized, and the dissolution behaviors of Fe as well as other cations from these synthetic glassy phases into an aqueous solution at pH of 5 were investigated. The result showed that the dissolution ratio of Fe increased significantly by increasing Fe2+/T–Fe ratio. An increase in FeO content of glassy phase also increased the dissolution of Fe. In addition, the Fe dissolution ratio showed a local maximum with increasing CaO/SiO2 ratio.

Mar 1, 2017

By Mónica P. Arenas

Aços austeníticos resistentes ao calor apresentam propriedades mecânicas que permitem seu uso em altas temperaturas e pressão, sendo frequentemente utilizados em fornos de reforma e pirolise. Devido às severas condições de operação danos de carburização podem ser induzidos. No presente trabalho foram analisados corpos de prova provenientes de fornos de reforma que apresentaram baixos níveis carburização. Com a finalidade de desenvolver uma metodologia que permita detectar e separar diferentes níveis de carburização, foi projetado, simulado e construído um sensor magnético constituído por um yoke e um sensor Hall. De acordo aos resultados obtidos, concluiu-se que o sensor permitiu determinar confiavelmente o nível de carburização em ligas austeníticas que estiveram expostas a diferentes temperaturas de operação.

Oct 30, 2017

By Matthias Wörndl

A indústria siderúrgica demanda um acabamento superficial de excelente qualidade em placas (slabs), antes de seu processamento em laminadores. O limite da temperatura de fresagem de 300°C exigia um esfriamento com posterior reaquecimento, gerando elevadas perdas energéticas. A empresa austríaca Maschinenfabrik Liezen com ampla experiência na fabricação de fresadoras de grande porte até 300°C desenvolveu e fabricou uma revolucionaria fresadora de alta capacidade (600.000 ton/ano), para operar de forma contínua em 800°C; nesse desenvolvimento de hardware e software foram também incorporadas várias otimizações operacionais e ambientais, sendo o destaque a fresagem modulada/inteligente, com precedente relevamento topográfico e termográfico para a localização dos defeitos superficiais, para a posterior fresagem com profundidade variável para a minimização de material retirado e simultânea eliminação dos defeitos localizados.

Aug 17, 2017

By C. Sawmliana

Deep-hole blasting operations in opencast mines are always associated with some annoyance to the surrounding areas in terms of ground vibration, noise, flyrock, etc. These become more severe when underground mines run parallel to them. Blasting in opencast mines may pose danger to the underground mines in terms of roof/side failures, damage of water dams, isolation/ventilation stoppings and other underground installations. The paper discusses a case study in India on the impact of deep-hole blasting in Ramagundam Opencast Project ? III on the stability of various water dams of GDK-6B Incline coal mine operating in close proximity. The stability of underground water dams of GDK-6B Incline mine was endangered due to deep-hole blasting at OCP-III. There were 15 water dams in seam 3 and 16 dams in seam 4 of the underground mine. The physical strength tests using a Schmidt Hammer instrument were carried out in all the 15 water dams of No. 3 seam and 16 water dams of No. 4 seam. The test revealed that there is a decrease in compressive strength values of three dams of seam 3, namely 6A, 6B and 7. Theose three dams were also directly connected to the water source. Water seepage was also observed from the surfaces of the three dams. However, they were found to be stable in accordance with their design parameters and damage point of view while considering a threshold value of ground vibration as 25 mm/s. It was found that the value of tensile stress generated by a vibration of 25 mm/s was much lower (i.e. 0.171N/mm2) than the tensile strength of the two weakest concrete dams (1.85 N/mm2). Ten experimental blasts were conducted at different working benches of the opencast mine and the ground vibration data were recorded in roof and pillars near various underground water dams. The maximum value of vibration data recorded was 5.9 mm/s in roof near dam no. 1 in seam 3 with the dominant peak frequency of 22 Hz. No adverse effect on either of the dams was observed after that blast. During the period of study, no deterioration/adverse impact was found in any dam of the mine. Based on the results of the study and the analyses of the data, optimized blast design parameters and explosives weight per delay were suggested for the opencast mine to maintain the safety of the underground water dams. Keywords: Opencast blasting, damage, water dams, underground mine, ground vibration

Jan 1, 2009

By J. C. Edwards

A series of four coal combustion experiments (I)' was conducted at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Pittsburgh Research Laboratory in the Safety Research Coal Mine to evaluate the response of optical and ionization smoke and CO sensors to a small 0.61 m square smoldering coal fire which transitions to flaming combustion in the presence of diesel emissions. With the increased utilization of diesel engines in underground coal mines, it is important to be able to discriminate fire products-of-combustion (POC) from diesel emissions. One proposed method to accomplish this is the deployment and interpretation of multiple sensors.

Jan 1, 2010