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The following comment has been received from Mr A. D. Osche* on the above paper, which was published in the Journal in October 1977 (vol. 78, no. 3, pp. 51-62). Obituary: T. K. Prentice The Institute records with deep regret the death on 30th January of its senior surviving Past President, Mr Thomas Kennedy Prentice, at the age of 83. Book reviews R. A. Rich, H. D. Holland, and U. Petersen. Hydrothermal uranium deposits. (Developments in Economic Geology, vol. 6). Amsterdam, Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co., 264 pp. with 77 illustrations and diagrams, 30 tables. U.S. $34,75. M. David. Geostatistical ore reserve estimation. Amsterdam, Elsevier Publishing Company, 1977. 364 pp. World mineral industry The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy is celebrating its sesquicentenary in 1979. A conference will be held in Perth from 13th to 18th August, 1979, as part of the celebrations, the theme being 'Australia's Role in the World Mineral Industry'. Engineering teaching staff UNESCO has extended its technical assistance to the Venezuelan government in the training of engineers to suit the rapidly developing economy of the country. UNESCO vacancy Vacancy for a post of expert under the UNDP. (1) Title of post: Expert in metallurgical engineering. (2) Duty station: Instituto Universitario Politecnico of Ciudad Guyana (Venezuela). Shell Design Awards The annual Shell Design Awards, organized by the Design Institute and sponsored by Shell South Africa (Pty) Ltd, focus attention on achievements in South African design.

Jan 1, 1978

By M. Ksiazek

Keywords: Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, flash method, specific heat capacity, manganese ore Manganese ferro-alloys manufacturing involves a combination of quality raw materials and an energy source to produce high-quality products with low energy consumption. The thermal properties of manganese raw materials such as ores, sinters, and briquettes, are among the many factors that determine the amount of energy needed for processing. Thermal expansion, thermal diffusivity, conductivity, and apparent specific heat capacity of solid samples and compacted powder samples of manganese ores were examined from room temperature to 1000 °C. The effect of porosity (of the materials used) on the thermal properties was also investigated. The laser flash method and a pushrod dilatometer were used.

Jan 1, 2011

By Chandrakala Kari, S. Mohan Rao, Gajanan Kapure, K. S. Raju

High carbon ferrochrome production process is energy intensive, consumes approximately 3300-3400 kWh per ton of metal produced. This amounts to ~ 34% of the total ferrochrome production cost. The power costs in India are almost 4 times greater than the leading ferrochrome producing countries like South Africa. Hence there is a need to look for alternative sources of energy. In ferrochrome making process large volumes of high concentration CO gas (~ 85%V) is developed at ~400-5000C, which if combusted within furnace represents high potential for significant electrical energy savings. In a typical heat in the state-of-the-art submerged arc furnace, about 34 kmol of CO gas is generated per ton of ferrochrome metal, which, if post combusted to CO2, represents 7620 MJ of energy. Post combustion of the evolving CO (and H2) gas to CO2 can be achieved by providing additional oxygen before the generated CO gas leaves the furnace. In this paper, a concept of post combustion in submerged arc furnace as potential source of significant electrical energy saving in ferro-chrome making process has been explored. The prospects and limitations of the same are discussed. The value of this paper lies in its attempt to explore the post combustion application to submerged arc furnace with an objective of significant reduction in electrical energy consumption in ferrochrome production process.

Jan 1, 2007

By M. C. Holton

South Africa has the world?s largest in situ deposits of platinum group metals, but economically exploitable resources are shrinking due to escalating costs and technical challenges. The South African National Research and Development Strategy comments that an increase in the knowledge intensity of the resource-based sectors is required to turn these resources to account. Highly trained human resources, continuous improvement, technological innovation, and smart acquisition of know-how will become the major differentiators in the global mining market. Mechanization and, ultimately, automation in mining have the potential to reverse the negative mining trend and resolve safety and other challenges. However, the adoption rate of mechanized mining in platinum (and hard-rock gold) has been slow for various reasons. Changing systems from conventional drill?and-blast to continuous mechanized mining is a big step-change endeavour. The problem of transformation is discussed, and the discipline of systems engineering is examined because of its successful application in aerospace and defence.

Jan 1, 2012

By S. Gan, E. van Niekerk, L. Birrell, D. Robbertze, L. Ncubi, B. Zhao

Quality assurance and quality control (or QAQC) plays a key role in safeguarding the level of confidence of the data generated during mineral exploration and mine development, and is also part of the reporting code requirements for resource estimation and reporting, as well as mining investment. Implementation of good policies and working protocols in quality management will result in the generation of reliable information, which is critical for decision-making on the future of the mining project. The use of certified reference materials, i.e., standard, blank, and duplicate samples, proves effective and efficient for ensuring the level of data confidence in terms of precision, accuracy, and sample contamination. This is well demonstrated by the practice of QC in the exploration programme for the chrysotile tailings storage facilities of Havelock Mine, using 1254 samples from 53 drill-holes. Different statistical tools were applied to analyse the assay results from these samples. The outcome substantiates that the QC practice established during the Havelock exploration project is aligned to best practice guidelines in the industry. The resource delineated indicates that the tailings material at Havelock could potentially become a significant source of supply to the global magnesium market.

Jul 2, 2022

By J. E. Quintanilha de Menezes, L. Ribeiro e Sousa, I. Ferreira

The Paradela dam has a spillway that makes it possible to discharge a maximum flow of 400 m3/s, the water discharges being on the river Sela, about 2km upstream the river Cávado. After the first use of the spillway, some landslides have occurred on the right bank of the river Sela as a result of the erosion generated on its base about one hundred meters near some houses of a small village. This paper presents a study performed for the slope stability where finite element results are taken into account. A monitoring program was established that essentially consisted of measuring sub-horizontal displacements in points located in boreholes at different depths and also phreatic levels. Some monitoring results are presented. Le barrage de Paradela a une décharge d’eau avec un débit maximal de 400 m3/s sur le fleuve Sela dans un endroit situé environ 2km sur l'amont du fleuve Cávado. Après la première utilisation de cette décharge, quelques glissements se sont vérifiés sur le versant droit du fleuve Sela résultant de l’érosion générée sur sa base dans une zone à 100 mètres de quelques maisons d’un petit village. Ce travail présente une étude réalisée concernant la stabilité du versant avec la considération des résultats des éléments finis. Un programme d’auscultation a été mis en place pour mesurer les déplacements sub-horizontales sur des points situés en forages à des différentes profondeurs. Quelques résultats de cette monitorization sont présentés. Der Ueberlauf des Padela Dammes ermoeglicht das Ablassen einer max. Wassermenge on 400 m3/s in den Sela Fluss, ca. 2 km flussaufwaerts des Cávado Flusses. Nach Inbetriebnahme des Ueberlaufes traten in ca. hundert Meter Entfernung zur Wohnbebauung eine Dorfes Erdrutschungen am rechten Ufer des Sela Flusses auf, die auf Erosionen am Flussbett zurückzuführen waren. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde die Boeschungsstabilitaet unter Beruecksichtigung von Berechnungsergebnissen der Finiten Element Methode untersucht. Es wurde ein essprogramm ausgearbeiten, das im Wesentlichen auf Messungen der Untergrundverformungen in verschiedenen Bohrlochteufen sowie auf Grundwassermessungen beruht. Im Folgenden sind einige Messergebnisse dargestellt.

Jan 1, 2003

By A. Tekin

In almost all branches of industry, machinery and equipment in operation cause vibration. Some sources of vibration affect only the operator’s hands, fingers, and arms, while others have adverse effects on the entire -body. Various types and numbers of machines are utilized in the mining sector, and operators with them are exposed to mechanical vibrations caused by the mining machinery they use. A field study was conducted to evaluate the vibration risks to the operators using mining machines in open pit mines. Vibration levels and whole-body vibration (WBV) measurements using various types brands, and models of construction equipment were evaluated in three different mines in the west of Turkey and compared to the the criteria specified in the EU 2002/44/EC directive and ISO 2631-1 (1997) standards. The results showed that operators using mining machinery for 8 hours were exposed to WBV levels below the EU limit (1.15 m/s2), while 44% of these operators were exposed to levels above the EU action limit (0.5 m/s2). Measurement data collected from the working environment and the recommended improvements that need to be made to reduce WBV exposures are presented.

May 2, 2022

By G. R. Drennan, N. J. Wagner, M. J. T. Sebola

The Soutpansberg Coalfield hosts South Africa's hard coking coal reserves. However, coals in this region are understudied compared to other coalfields in the country. This study characterizes the properties of fine-float fraction samples extracted from a wide diameter borehole core in the Makhado Project, Tshipise sub-basin, Soutpansberg coalfield. Conventional analyses were used to determine the coal quality, petrographic composition, mineralogy, geochemistry (including trace element and rare earth element composition), and free swelling index of samples from six coal horizons and three partings from the economic No.6 Seam. The coal samples are classified as medium rank bituminous C coals (0.88 %RoVmr, 0.92 %Rmax) and are highly vitrinitic in composition (97 vol% mineral matter free (mmf)). The samples show strong caking potential (FSI of 9). The total rare earth concentrations range between 570 and 3193 ppm in the ash samples. Preliminary analysis show all but two samples are promising sources of rare earth elements as the total concentrations exceeded the 1000 ppm cut-off grade. Further research is required to confirm these preliminary findings.

Aug 2, 2022

By A. Haines, O. Varaud, I. Baidoo

Abosso Goldfields Limited (AGL) is in the process of developing an expansion of their Damang Open Pit gold mine in Ghana. AGL acquired the Damang mine in January 2002, with SRK participating in the geotechnical investigation and design for the project since 2001. A deep resource drilling program, completed during 2004, intersected an extension of the orebody below the then planned final pit floor. A feasibility study has been completed to determine the economic extraction of this deep ore with an expanded pit shell. The Damang mine is in a stockwork sulphide deposit at the culmination of the Damang anticline. The deposit occurs as hydrothermal mineralisation associated with dominantly east dipping thrusts and sub-horizontal quartz veins. Primary gold mineralisation also occurs in the conglomerates of the Tarkwaian Formation. The geological units consist of steep easterly dipping dolerite, sandstone, siltstone and phyllite beds, with the weathering profile comprising saprolites overlying a relatively thin joint oxidized horizon. It is planned to deepen the current open pit to a final depth of up to 270 m, primarily by the development of a push-back of the eastern and western walls. The edge of the Eastern Tailings Storage Facility (ETSF) is currently located within 80 to 100 m of the crest of the existing pit. The geotechnical design focused on the optimization of the bench face angle and finally recommended a ?Steep Slope Strategy?, involving 24m high near vertical benches. Limiting bench stack heights of 96m at a maximum of 66° were derived from the influence of major structures and the variation in rock mass conditions. The overall slope angles in each pit sector were developed around the requirement for haulage ramps. One of the main design challenges was to optimise the standoff distance between the final pit crest and the ETSF. This process had to consider maximum access to the resource without undue influence on or from the nearby tailings dam. A planned increase to the height of the dam wall was an additional factor in the design. Dewatering of the pit walls was also a major consideration in this tropical environment.

Jan 1, 2006

By M. Reuter, C. Schuffeneger, T. Seppälä, L. Holappa

Reaction kinetics of solid-state reduction of chromite pellets (laboratory made and industrial) and lumpy ore was investigated by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique. Carbon monoxide was used as the reducing agent, with the presence of graphite in proximity to chromite. The experiments were carried out at both rising temperature and constant temperature in the range of 1450 - 1550°C. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to observe and analyse the structure and composition changes of the chromite samples. For the lab-made chromite pellets, the effects of particle size and bentonite addition on the reduction behaviour were studied. The pellet with smaller particle size gave a higher reduction rate. Bentonite addition had slightly negative effect on the reduction rate. When reducing industrial pellets, temperature and CO flow rate had positive influence on the reduction rate. Reduction of lumpy ore took place slower than reduction of a pellet. In all samples, chromite reduction proceeded longer in the outer part of the sample than in the centre part. The porosity of the chromite samples was determined before and after the experiments. The porosity of lumpy chromite increased significantly during the reduction. However, the porosity of lab-made chromite pellet decreases due to sintering effect. The reaction mechanism is discussed on the basis of experimental results and earlier investigations.

Jan 1, 2004

By B. Leong, H. Joubert

Keywords: Pyrometallurgy, furnace, auxiliary equipment, copper slag launders Pyromet has designed copper launders for tapping slag. What makes Pyromet?s launder design innovative and safe is that it does not have any cooling water channels underneath the launder runner, whilst achieving effective cooling of the runner. If matte burn-throughs were to occur through the launder runner, the risk of damaging water channels and the risk of explosions are reduced. In addition, since the cooling water channels are not harmed, the launder is easily repairable and reusable. Pyromet makes use of Finite Element Analysis to optimize the launder geometry to ensure that sufficient energy is removed from the centre of the launder. Factors considered during the launder design include the suitability of the geometry to the client?s needs, experience from existing installations, and ease of fabrication. Pyromet goes so far as to develop procedures for fabricators to ensure that fabrication issues do not compromise the functionality of the launder. When launder orders are received by Pyromet, the entire fabrication process and the functioning of the launders during operations are monitored to ensure that the launder designs are continuously improving with every installation.

Jan 1, 2006

Council and Standing Committees, 1975-1976 President: Dr R. E. Robinson. Vice-Presidents: Dr M. D. G. Salamon and P. A. von Wielligh. Honorary Treasurer: J. K. E. Douglas. Immediate Past President: Prof. R. P. Plewman. Members of Council: Dr M. G. Atmore, J. D. Austin, C. T. Fenton, J. A. Holmes, P. Holz, Dr P. R. Jochens, Prof. R. P. King, Dr D. G. Krige, Dr D. I. Legge, D. G. Malan, C. T. Shaw, D. A. Viljoen, R. A. von Maltitz, H. M. Wells. Chairman, Witbank-Middelburg Branch: E. J. Jackson. Chairman, Orange Free State Branch : G. J. C. Young. Past Presidents Serving on Council: R. J. Adamson, H. Britten, H. E. Cross, J. K. E. Douglas, R. C. J. Goode, Prof. D. D. Howat, Dr J. P. Hugo, D. M. Jamieson, D. G. Maxwell, Dr J. T. McIntyre, V. C. Robinson, P. W. J. van Rensburg. Seven Council meetings and five Executive Committee meetings were held during the year, and the standing and sub-committees held fifty-five meetings. Standing Committee Chairmen Membership, P. A. von Wielligh ; Technical Programme-Metallurgy, D. A. Viljoen; Technical Programme-Mining, D. G. Malan; Vacation School-Metallurgy, Dr P. R. Jochens ; Vacation School-Mining, H. M. Wells; Awards, Dr R. E. Robinson; Excursions, Dr D. I. Legge; Adjudicating, Dr R. E. Robinson; Constitution, Rules and Policy, Prof. R. P. Plowman; Mines and Works, C. T. Shaw; Education, Prof. R. P. Plewman; Foundry Colloquia, Prof. D. D. Howat. Representatives on Other Bodies Associated Scientific and Technical Societies: Members : Dr R. E. Robinson and Prof. R. P. Plewman. Alternates : P. A. von Wielligh and Dr M. D. G. Salamon. Federation of Societies of Professional Engineers: Members : J. K. E. Douglas and Prof. R. P. Plewman. Alternates: Dr R. E. Robinson and Dr M. D. G. Salamon. FSPE Technicians Committee: Member: D. M. Jamieson. FSPE Rationalziation Committee: Member: Dr M. D. G. Salamon. South African Council for Professional Engineers (Institute Nominees) Member : R. C. J. Goode. Alternate: G. H. Grange. South African National Committee on Tunnelling: Member : D. G. Malan. Alternate: Prof. R. P. Plewman. Engineers' Liaison Committee (Pretoria) Member : Dr J. P. Hugo. Alternate : P. W. J. van Rensburg. Government Certificate of Competency Liaison Committee: Member: Prof. R. P. Plowman. Alternate: D. M. Jamieson. James Moir Memorial Lectures: Member : Prof. D. D. Howat. World Mining Congress-National Committee: Members : Dr M. D. G. Salamon, Prof. R. P. Plewman, and H. M. Wells. I.F.A.C. Symposium: Member: P. W. J. van Rensburg (Chairman-Organising Committee). Alternate : Dr J. P. Hugo. I. U.P.A.C. Symposium: Member: Dr P. R. Jochens. Membership Nine Fellows, twenty Members, six Associate Members, thirteen Graduates, nine Associates, twenty-nine Students, and ten Company Affiliates were elected during the year. One Fellow was elected to Honorary Life Fellowship, eight Members and one Graduate were transferred to Fellows, twelve Graduates and two Students were transferred to Members, three Students were transferred to Graduates, and one Student was transferred to the grade of Associate. Six Fellows, two Members, and two Associates were admitted to retired membership. Nine Fellows, fifteen Members, three Graduates, one Associate, two Students, and one Company Affiliate resigned. A statement of membership as at June 30th, 1976, and the end of the previous year is shown in the following tabulation. 30th June, - 30th June, 1975 1976 Honorary Life Fellows 16 - 17 Honorary Fellows 8 - 8 Life Fellows 171 - 171 Fellows 549 - 547 Members 523 - 517 Associate Members 15 - 21 Graduates 132 - 123 Associates 209 - 205 Students 173 - 179 Company Affiliates 71 - 80 1866 -1878 Obituaries Your Council records with deep regret the death during the year of the following members: P. A. Creewell, Life Fellow; A. S. Davis, J. S. Hay, P. 0. Lange, N.

Jan 10, 1976

By N. V. Moraka

Mining companies are required by law to improve representation of women on their boards. However, progress in this regard has been slow. Boards of directors play an important role in formulating corporate strategy, risk assessment, and effective governance for sustained financial performance. Although some women have successfully maintained board seats, others have been unable to do so. It is difficult to ascertain whether women are being appointed as tokens to satisfy social pressures, as little is known about the experiences of women board members in mining, which may inform or refute tokenism. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 women and 16 men across six listed mining companies. Thematic data analysis revealed evidence of tokenism where recruitment to mining boards is compliance-based and is informally driven by influential directors. Adverse boardroom experiences that further confirmed tokenism were reported by women, such as disregarding their contributions, condescending behaviour, and limited influence in decision-making, while other women sought to validate their competence and oppose social exclusion. This study recommends that a strong Board Chair and nominations committee is critical to ensure sustainable recruitment of competent and suitably qualified women; and further foster a culture of inclusivity and valuing gender-diverse boards.

Dec 13, 2023

By R. Shen

This paper presents results of a feasibility study of recycling manganese furnace dust generated in production of ferromanganese and silicomanganese at Tasmanian Electrometallurgical Company, Australia. Dried manganese furnace dust contains about 20 wt% of carbon, in average 33.4 wt% of manganese and 1.3 wt% of zinc. Manganese in the dust is in the form of MnO, Mn3O4 and MnCO3; zinc is mainly in the form of ZnO andZnSO4. Analysis of the zinc balance with dust recycling showed that to keep zinc intake at the acceptable level, it should be partly removed from the dust. In the reduction laboratory experiments, zinc oxide was reduced to zinc vapour by tar of the dust. Reduction of zinc oxide started at 800°C and zinc removal rate increased with increasing temperature; removal of zinc was close to completion at 1100oC. Optimal conditions for removing zinc from the dust include temperature in the range 1000-1150°C, inert gas atmosphere and furnace dust fraction in the furnace dust-manganese ore mixture above 60%. In the sintering of manganese ore with addition of manganese dust in the sintering pot, zinc was reoxidised and deposited in the sinter bed. Removal of zinc in the sintering pot tests was in the range 4-17%. Up to 30% zinc removal was achieved from the bottom layer of the sinter bed. It can be concluded that zinc removal will be low during the processing of manganese furnace dust in the sinter plant. The zinc removal rate will be the highest when pelletised manganese furnace dust is added to the bottom layer of the sintering bed.

Jan 1, 2007

By R. Sullivan, K. Joiner, B. Emery, M. de Vries, F. A. Stober, L. R. Nelson, J. M. A. Geldenhuis

Keywords: Pyrometallurgy, smelting, converting, furnace design, furnace retrofit, high-intensity smelting, copper coolers, plate coolers, waffle coolers, tap-blocks, lower sidewall air-cooling, wall hold-down system, platinum group metals, ferroalloys, ferrochrome, ferrocobalt, ilmenite smelting, ironmaking, operational readiness, operational support The paper describes the development of furnace designs by Hatch in conjunction with the smelting plants in Africa to meet the intense process requirements in certain applications; continued improvement in operating efficiency through increased throughput from existing crucibles; and improvement in campaign life and furnace integrity. The era of Hatch in Africa has seen the doubling of furnace power in retrofit projects using existing crucibles to developing the highest intensity immersed electrode operations in the world. This has resulted in minimized OPEX and CAPEX per unit of production. Through the continued development of its cooling, binding and furnace power supply technologies and working with the experienced and knowledgeable personnel at the smelting facilities in Africa, Hatch has managed to meet the challenges of ever increasing furnace process requirements associated with increased power density and superheats prevalent in the operations. In addition to developing furnace crucible designs, Hatch has also intensified its ?after sales service and support? with the construction, commissioning and start-up technical assistance and operational readiness and operational support for ramp-up to nameplate capacity and beyond. The key areas of furnace risk associated with high superheat molten material tapping has also seen the development of diagnostic systems to mitigate risks and produce early warning signals for the operators.

Jan 1, 2006

The latest Draft MPRRB was released for public comment in October 2006. The main purpose of the Bill is to collect royalties at mines developed in terms of new-order mineral rights granted through the MPRDA process. The transition phase stipulated in the MPRDA will be completed by 1 May 2009, on which date mineral royalties will become payable to the state. The royalty rates stated in the MPRRB differ from mineral to mineral and also depend on the degree of refinement. Gold is the subject of this paper, where the royalty rate ranges from 1.5% (for refined gold) to 3% (for unrefined gold) of sales revenue. This royalty is payable regardless of profit, with a maximum 75% relief for loss-making mines. The purpose of this paper is to establish whether or not it would be necessary for gold mines to adjust their mineral reserve statements as a result of this Bill. The methodology is to add the royalty costs stipulated in the MPRRB to the actual quarterly information for the past ten years as reported by the gold-mine members of the COM. The rationale is to investigate the impact this Bill (in its current form) would have had on gold reserves that must be left unmined in the ground because of a higher pay limit. The results of the study point to a significant impact on reserves available for mining with the subsequent shortening of mine lives and retrenchment of workers. Had the MPRRB been effective for the 10 years prior to 1996, it would have resulted in 46 tonnes of gold being sterilised. Stated alternatively, 30 700 workers at COM gold mines alone would have lost their livelihoods.

Jan 1, 2007

By J. Sikamo, A. Mwanza, C. Mweemba

"The Zambian copper mining industry as we know it today had its genesis in the 1920s. Consistent private sector-driven investment in the industry over a period of over 50 years in exploration, mine development and operation, development of minerals processing facilities, building of infrastructure for pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processing, with attendant support facilities, including building of whole new towns, resulted in copper production rising to a peak of 769 000 t in 1969, providingover 62 000 direct jobs. The industry was nationalized in 1973 and remained in government hands for just over 24 years. During this period, the industry experienced a serious decline in production levels, reaching the lowest level in the year 2000 when production was 250 000 t. An average of just under 2000 jobs were lost every year in the 24-year period, reaching just over 22 000 direct jobs in 2000.Following the return of Zambian politics to pluralism and liberalized economic policies, the government decided to privatize the mining industry. The process started in 1996 and by the year 2000 all the mining assets had been privatized. The new investors embarked on serious investment to upgrade the assets and to develop greenfield mining projects. Fourteen years later and after more than US$12 billion investment, production levels increased year-on-year to a peak of 763 000 t in 2013 with direct jobs reaching 90 000.This paper discusses the impact of the mining industry in Zambia on the economy in areas such as employment, support for other industries, direct contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP), foreign exchange earnings, and social amenities. The paper also focuses on the performance of the mines during these periods vis-à-vis mineral availability, mineral grades and complexity, new technologies, and human capital. This is looked at particularly in the light of current challenges the industry is facing. Suggestions are proposed on how the industry can be nurtured to continue being a major driver for the Zambian economy and a major player in the international copper mining business."

Jan 1, 2016

By Jack Levin

Dr Laurence AlIison Bushel, a former President of the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa, now The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, was born in Queenstown on 20th June, 1910, and died in Johannesburg on 4th November, 1991. There were three distinct periods in the career of Laurie Bushel, each enlivened by some special interests or achievements.

Jan 1, 1991

By P. Kluge

Mining engineers frequently encounter complex design problems for which the critical components of the design are difficult to quantify or compare. Teams of people typically work on these designs and human perceptions and judgments play a strong role. To assist with this process, the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) as a decisionmaking tool is described in this paper. Although the technique is used in many other disciplines, it is currently not widely used in mining engineering in South Africa. To use the AHP process, the problem should be treated as a hierarchy that defines the goal, the alternatives to reach it, and the criteria for evaluation of these alternatives. Pair wise comparisons are conducted on the criteria of the hierarchy to establish priorities. The value of the technique is that it is simple to test for consistency amongst the pair wise comparisons to ensure that the answer obtained is better than that provided by a random selection. To illustrate the technique, the use of a backfill support system in a platinum mining project was investigated. Ten design parameters, which will be impacted by the use of backfill, were identified and weighted according to their relative importance. The result of the AHP evaluation was that the use of a backfill support system should be preferred to a conventional support system at the mine.

Jan 1, 2011

By G. Akdogan, I. J. Geldenhuys, Q. G. Reynolds

Efficient recovery of titanium from titaniferous magnetite ores continues to be a promising, yet unrealised opportunity, despite significant occurrences of titaniferous magnetite deposits worldwide and the existence of established industrial-scale practices. Current smelting processes only recover iron and vanadium, while the titanium is discarded in the waste slag. These slags are stockpiled and present massive environmental challenges, while still containing value as residual iron, vanadium and titanium. The complex mineralisation of these deposits does not allow for a significant opportunity to separate the titanium and magnetite minerals through normal physical upgrading processes. An upgrading process is therefore required to derive economic value. An efficient process technology could create an opportunity to unlock all three valuable commodities. South Africa’s Bushveld Complex, the largest known deposit of its kind in the world, is known for the high vanadium content but is also associated with relatively high concentrations of titaniferous magnetite. The quality of the Bushveld Complex was one of the drivers for the establishment of the Highveld Steel and Vanadium Company in the mid-1960s. The unfortunate demise of Highveld Steel and Vanadium created an opportunity to review current practices and evaluate the best available process for this complex ore in the context of the three elements of interest. Past and current processes, the nature of these deposits and the potential to recover titanium are assessed to highlight the potential of fluxless smelting of titaniferous magnetite to produce a titania-rich slag as feedstock to the pigment, titanium metal industry in conjunction with recovery of iron and vanadium. Ilmenite smelting practices are proposed as a suitable alternative to achieve the goal, namely sustainable processing. Keywords: Titaniferous magnetite, titanomagnetite, smelting, titania slags, comprehensive processing

Jan 1, 2020