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By Leonard R. Weisberg

HE procedure of directional freezing by the Bridgman technique1 is frequently used in crystal preparation. On those occasions where the crystal is regrown, it can be advantageous to Crop part of the ingot before regrowth to achieve purification. This note describes some simple, yet interesting, observations concerning the effects of cropping an ingot between successive freezes. First, it is not effective to Crop the front end of an ingot, whether or not the distribution coefficient, k , of the impurities is greater or less than unity. This can be shown as follows. The concentration C, of an impurity in a directionally frozen ingot of length d with a uniform cross section is given by where x is the distance along the ingot, and C0 is the initial concentration per unit length. It is assumed in deriving this equation that diffusion is negligible in the solid, is complete in the melt, and that k is constant. Consider that a section of the ingot Ad is removed from the front end. Then the average impurity concentration in the remaining (d- Ad) section of the ingot can be shown by integration to be given by When the ingot is remelted and refrozen, the new impurity distribution is given by where xl is the distance along the refrozen ingot. Substituting the value of c into Eq. [3], one finds This is identical to Eq. [11 when x = (x, Ad), which represents the original impurity distribution in the (d - Ad) section of the ingot after the first directional freeze. Therefore, the cropping and re-freezing accomplished nothing. This can also be seen physically by realizing that the average impurity content in the melt after the first Ad section is frozen, is identical to that after the resulting ingot has been cropped and remelted. Hence, it is assumed in the following sections that only the tail end of the ingot is cropped. However, it must be realized that for impurities with k greater than one, the pieces cropped from the tail end are purer, and are therefore saved. After cropping an amount Ad from the tail end of an ingot, the average impurity concentration of impurities in the remaining portion of the ingot is given by wheref= d/d. For the case of k < 1, the purification is defined as c,/c. It is obvious from Eq. [5] that the purification increases asf increases, but the increase in purification is not large. For example, iff is doubled from 0.1 to 0.2, the purification increases by only 10 pct for k = 0.5, by only 24 pct for k = 0.1, and by 32 pct for k =0.01. Much smaller values off than 0.1 are not desirable since insufficient purification is achieved. These figures indicate that much larger values off do not lead to substantial improvement, especially considering that much of the original ingot is lost. Therefore, it is generally useful to Crop about 1/10 of the ingot to achieve purification. As compared to doubling the value off, it is much more helpful to remelt, refreeze, and crop the ingot twice. Using Eq. [51 reiteratively, and assuming f= 0.1, it is found that the purification after this process is found to be increased over the purification after a single freeze and cropping by 33 pct for k= 0.5, 450 pct for k = 0.1, and 4100 pct for k = 0.01. This indicates that considerable purification can be obtained by this procedure. However, if purification is the main goal, one should resort to zone refining,3

Jan 1, 1962

By David Gearhart, Thomas Barczak

Hydraulic cylinders a re used in several roof support systems, such as longwall shields and mobile roof supports, to provide critical ground control Many state-of-the-art hydraulic support systems operate at pressures as high as 7,000 psi to provide the necessary support capacities. Pressure in the upper stages of multi-stage cylinders can be intensified by a factor of 2 or 3 providing pressures of 20,000 psi or greater. A proper understanding of the operation of these high pressure systems is necessary to safely maintain and repair these support systems. Likewise, the performance characteristics need to be fully understood to evaluate the impact of design parameters on the capability of the support to maintain effective ground control. This paper examines the basic operating principles of state-of-the-art hydraulic cylinders and discusses relative issues pertaining to. (1) setting loads, (2) support stiffness, (3) yielding behavior, (4) errors in assessing support loading, and (S) hydraulic failure mechanisms and how to detect them

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period Oct. 10, 1918, to Nov. 9, 1918. ALLER, FRANK D., Copper Met., Ore Purchaser, American Smelt. & Refin. Co., 120 Broadway, New York, N. Y. AVÈRY, PAUL W., Met. Engr., Esperanza Min. Co., Apt. 8, El Oro, Mex., Mexico. BAKER, CHARLES A., Leaching Foreman, Copper Leaching Plant, Anaconda Copper Min. Co., Anaconda, Mont: BREED, CHARLES H Met., Crown Cork & Seal Co., Baltimore, Md. CHASE, R. L., Min. Engr 102S First National Bank Bldg., Denver, Colo. EICHELBERGER, FRANK, Vice-pres. and Engr., New York-Montana Testing & Engrg. Co., Helena, Mont. GESTER, G. C., Geol., Standard Oil Co. of Cal., 616 Standard Oil Bldg., San Francisco, Cal. GRIFFIN, JOHN, Mgr., Anthracite Territory, The Dorr Co., Board of Trade Bldg., Scranton, Pa. HAYNES, ELWOOD Pres., The Haynes Stellite Co., Kokomo, Indiana. Hsi, T. C:.. Sec&apos;y, Tayeh Iron & Steel Works, Tayeh, China. HYDE, AUSTIN T., Mgr., Keokuk Plant, River Smelt. & Refin. Co., 607 Franklin St., Keokuk, Iowa.

Jan 12, 1918

By V. D. O’Leary

The Anaconda Co. has two economic uses for the drainage water from its underground mines in the district of Butte, Mont. One is the precipitation of copper, which the company has been accomplishing at the Leonard precipitating plant for many years, and the other is the leaching of the Berkeley pit discard, where millions of tons of leach material have accumulated. The acidic mine drainage water is an ideal leaching medium for the latter purpose, but the solids and colloidal material suspended in the water must be removed before it can be applied to the low-grade Berkeley leach dump. For this reason, it is important for Anaconda to have an efficient means of cleaning mine drainage. Such a means has been found and tested at one mine and is now to be incorporated in a new central pumping station the company is planning at the 3900-ft level of the Kelley mine. This plant is to be activated in early 1967 and will replace the antiquated four-lift High Ore mine pumping plant which was designed and installed before tailing backfill was adopted. The new plant will feature eight pumps with a total capacity of 8000 gpm in a single lift against a total dynamic head of 4100 ft. For the most efficient and economical operation of the plant it is imperative that all possible mud be removed from the drainage water before pumping.

Jan 9, 1966

By R. G. L. McCready, R. O. van Everdingen, M. Kalin, R. van Everdingen

"This paper is based on data generated between October, 1986 and October, 1989, during the implementation of an Ecological Engineering close-out for a zinc mine in Northern Ontario, where 690000 tonnes of tailings contain 41.1% pyrite and 4.1% pyrrhotite. The objective was to determine rates of sulphide oxidation and iron precipitation in the tailings. Those rates are relevant for the assessment of the long-term effectiveness of biological systems employed in the removal of heavy metals from contaminated drainage issuing from tailings.Data were collected on the topography and stratigraphy of the tailings basin, subsurface temperatures and groundwater levels, and chemical analyses were made of water samples collected from a number of piezometers. The thickness of unsaturated tailings varied widely between individual piezometer locations; annual maxima ranged from 0.67 m to 3.55 m, and annual minima from 0 to 2.68 m. Sulphate concentrations ranged from 36 mg/L to 20180 mg/L; iron concentrations from 0.36 mg/L to 9938 mg/L; and zinc concentrations from 0.33 mg/L to 1123 mg/L.The geochemistry of the piezometer samples suggests that some of the initial Fe content, resulting from metal sulphide oxidation, is subsequently precipitated in the tailings pile and, possibly, in the underlying unconsolidated sediments, probably in the form of iron-hydroxide and Na-jarosite. Other metals such as Zn may be co-precipitated with Fe. The discharge of a portion of these metals to the environment would be delayed by this process. Some of the initial sulphate may also be lost from solution, probably by precipitation of gypsum; approximate saturation degrees for gypsum ranged from -3.27 to +0.47. The precipitated minerals will somewhat decrease the porosity and permeability of the tailings.Sulphide-oxidation rates, calculated using the analytical results and the estimated amount of annual recharge at the tailings site, average 0.0057 mol/kg/yr. Calculated iron-precipitation rates average 0.000386 mol/kg/yr. It is concluded that the characteristics of seepage from mining wastes may change with time, reflecting the solubilization of precipitated secondary minerals."

Jan 1, 1992

By Arne Paus-Jenssen

The potash industry in Saskatchewan has recently been the focus of much new legislation at the provincial level and, along with other mining industries in Canada, also subject to changes in tax legislation at the federal level. As a result, the industry presently operates under (a) provincial production controls, a prorationing scheme; (b) a new provincial reserve tax on potash only and; (c) a new federal income tax applicable to all mineral industries. The prorating scheme dates back to 1970 and emerged as public policy because of the excess supply situation faced by the international potash industry towards the end of the sixties. This caused special problems for new mines in Saskatchewan and the provincial government decided to intervene. The new tax legislation at provincial and federal levels, both introduced within the last four years, reflects a belief that insufficient revenues accrue to the public sector from natural resources. All mining industries in Canada, including the potash industry, have had their tax positions completely reversed during these four years. Traditionally the mining sector in Canada has been a recipient of substantial tax incentives and has enjoyed low tax rates. This has changed and the mining sector is now one of the most heavily taxed sectors in the economy. In addition, the mining sector has moved from a situation where its rapid development was favoured by governments to a situation where this is no longer the case.

Jan 1, 1976

By Abrahan Barriga

The present study demonstrates the feasibility of the ultrafine grinding and atmospheric leaching process applied to refractory gold concentrates from Salave Project located in northern Spain. At bench scale, it was found acceptable sulfide oxidation was about 84-85% and CIL gold recoveries between 95-96% applying specific energy consumption between 30 and 60 kWh/t during ultrafine grinding. The atmospheric oxidation of the sulfide concentrate was controlled between pH 4.4 and 4.8 with a mixture 90/10 of CaCO3/NaCO3 with residence time of 48 hours for the atmospheric oxidation and 30 hours residence time for the CIL process.

Sep 30, 2022

By WILLIAM BOWIE

IN most human endeavors a knowledge of the terrain is essential to the effective carrying out of projects, but no line of work is more dependent on maps than theoretical and applied geology. Maps of a kind do exist for all of the area of the United States, but most of them are crude affairs and of little use in engineering, planning, and scientific research. Topographic mapping in the United States was initiated on a national scale by the U. S. Geological Survey and the organizations that were merged in its creation to make base maps for geologists. Their work could not be effectively done then and cannot be effectively done now without maps that accurately delineate the earth&apos;s surface. The distribution of the rock masses that contain valuable mineral bodies, or that by their intrusion brought them into existence, is the first step in a study of the mineral resources of the nation. This work requires three-dimensional maps, that is, topographic maps on which the land forms are shown by contours.

Jan 1, 1938

By Zhao Hengxian

We studied the phase diagram of Na3AlFe-ZrO system, reduction of ZrO2 by aluminium and electrochemical behaviours of ZrO2 in the system. The results show that Na3ALF6-ZrO2 system is a simle eutectic one, that the velocity of reduction of ZrO2 in the system is rapid al 960&apos;C and that the Zr content in the alloy abtained can reach as high as 2.5wt%. Potential scanning shows that there exist new current peaks on the potential scanning plats except for the cuurent peaks corresponding to the oxidation of aluminium. The method of making Al-Zr alloy in our paper has advantages over the traditional method of mixing metals.

Jan 1, 1992

By H. H. Kellogg, T. R. Ingraham

Three anhydrous zinc sulfates have been identified. They are: ZnSO,(a), stable below 1007°K; ZnS04(/3), stable above 1007OK; and ZnO.ZZnSO,. The decomposition pressure of each sulfate has been measured and the following relations calculated from the results: The measured data have been combined with the known themzodynamic properties of ZnS, ZnO, Zn, SO,, and SO, to yield univariant and bivariant phase diagrams for the system Zn-S-0. The application of these diagrams to problems of roasting zinc concentrates is discussed. PRESENT knowledge of the equilibrium chemistry of the system Zn-S:O, so essential to scientific control of zinc-blende roasting, is deficient in several respects. A basic sulfate of zinc has been reported by many investigators, but its composition is in doubt and its thermodynamic properties have not been measured. Our scanty knowledge of the properties of the normal sulfate at roasting temperatures is based on old and inexact studies. A crystal transformation in the normal sulfate, involving a sizable heat effect, has been noted by several investigators but has never been quantified. The studies reported herein were designed to fill these gaps in knowledge and to make possible a reasonably complete thermodynamic description of the system Zn-S-0 at roasting temperatures. The results make possible a far more exact understanding of zinc roasting chemistry than was hitherto possible. EXPERIMENTAL The principal experimental technique employed was the measurement of the total gas pressure developed from decomposition of either ZnSO, or ZnO2ZnS0, in a closed system. The apparatus employed was essentially the same as that described by Warner and lngrahaml and Flengas and tngraham.&apos; The unusual feature is a flexible Pyrex bellows used to separate the reaction gas mixture (S03, SOz, and 02) from the mercury in the manometer and thus prevent corrosion of the mercury by SO3. The bellows operates without evidence of hysteresis and, barring accidents, may be used for several months. The response of the bellows varies from manometer to manometer, but is generally of the order of 0.6-cm displacement for a l-cm change in pressure. The response for all manometers has been linear over the range 0 to 1 atm. To prevent condensation and polymerization of sulfur trioxide, the bellows-manometer was maintained at 100.0" * 0.5" by a circulating bath of silicone oil. The connecting tubing between the manometer and the furnace was maintained at 100.0" * 0.2"* also, with a stirred air bath. The open end of the manometer was connected with a chamber which was maintained at a known pressure. The pressure could be varied so that readings of the height of the mercury column, measured with a cathetometer, could be made with both rising and falling mercury column. By using the average of the readings, any error due to sticking of the mercury column was minimized. The sample was placed in a 2-in.-long platinum boat formed into the shape of a half-cylinder. The sample was prepared as a fine powder and pressed against the inner wall of the platinum boat. A silica thermocouple well, covered with a platinum sleeve, was placed lengthwise along the center of the boat. The temperature of the sample was read on a calibrated Pt-10 pct Rh theirnocouple. The temperature profile of the furnace was constant within ± 0.2 C over the length of furnace occupied by the sample. The horizontal furnace used to contain the sample and the quartz reaction tube was electrically heated, with the control thermocouple placed 1/4 in. from the windings. A Brown Pyro-O-Vane temperature controller with a 3-sec response time was used to maintain the furnace temperature. Before beginning a run, the apparatus, including the bellows manometer, was thoroughly washed in sib with acid and distilled water to remove any

Jan 1, 1963

By D Maldonado

BlueScope Steel’s Port Kembla sinter machine underwent a major upgrade during mid-2009. The mixing and rolling drum (MRD) was thoroughly cleaned during the upgrade. Space factor measurements taken in October 2009 showed that the drum was operating in the cataract regime in the dry mixing section and the cascading regime in the rolling section, which is optimal for granulation. Sampling carried out during an entry into the MRD showed that both the Sauter mean diameter and the predicted bed voidage increase rapidly during wetting, and then decrease in the wet mixing section. In the rolling section, the granule properties remained constant untilthe drum discharge. Frozen particle analysis, using liquid nitrogen as the quenching agent, were carried out on material collected from the MRD discharge. The results, expressed as a Granulation Index, showed there had been a significant improvement in the granulating performance of the MRD following the upgrade. The plant studies were also complemented with laboratory scale experiments which aimed to optimise the granulation process. The effect of burnt lime on green feed permeability was quantifi ed using the laboratory scale drum at different moisture contents. A significant increase in permeability was apparent once the burnt lime dosing rates doubled from 1.1 - 2.2 per cent w/w (feed basis). The capacity of the burnt lime system at the sinter machine will be increased in order to benefi t from the expected higher permeability, permeability, which will enable the machine to sinter at deeper bed heights.

Jul 11, 2011

By Reaves. M. J.

The title of my talk, "What Happened to the Uranium Boom?" is old news. Certainly it is for this group. All of us that make our living in uranium know that the boom of the last half of the 1970&apos;s is over. U.S. production has been exceeding consumption by more than two to one. Mines and mills are closing and yellowcake prices have been dropping for over 20 months. The gloomy outlook for the industry in the near term has been well documented by soothsayers of various descriptions, your daily newspapers, and in the Nuexco Monthly Reports. I&apos;d like to attempt to describe the next upturn in the market (speculate, really) based upon the clues we&apos;re seeing now. In order to do that, I&apos;d first like to go over briefly, some of the market factors that contributed to the recent price drop and resultant production cutbacks, and then hypothesize on the way these factors are changing and will change. Market prices are greatly affected (maybe even entirely determined) by buyer perceptions. This is particularly true with uranium, because of the long lead times associated with nuclear plant construction and also with conventional mine/mill development. Before the price rise (say, 1975) utility uranium buyers believed that: 1) U.S. producers would have difficulty expanding to meet U.S. demand. 2) Australian and Canadian production was essential to avoid shortages in the early 1980&apos;s. 3) Uranlum prices would continue to rise as demand exceeded supply. 4) Enrichment capacity would become inadequate. It was thought necessary, therefore, to build enriched inventory in the early 1980&apos;s for use in the late 1980&apos;s. Artificially accelerated expansion of the uranium producer industry was necessary to accommodate anticipated enrichment demand. Current perceptions are largely the opposite. These are the beliefs that were held most of this year and late last year as prices dropped. 1) U.S. production is far in excess of domestic need. Contraction of the U.S. production lndustry is necessary. 2) Canadian and Australian supply is optional and not essential. Producers in those countries are expanding mainly by displacing higher cost production and not because they fill a void, 3) Prices may be essentially stable for some time. 4) Enriched uranium is in excess supply. That is 1981. 1982 is shaping up to look like this: 1) Prices will have bottomed out. (That is not Nuexco&apos;s opinion necessarily, by the way, but it is my opinion.) 2) There will still be substantial utility inventories, but fewer spot sales. 3) Canadian and perhaps Australian sellers will have made substantial sales in the U.S. and will be aggressively seeking more. 4) U.S. production will have been dramatically curtailed. U.S. utilities that wish to con- tract long term will have difficulty in finding domestic sellers. Concern will develop about the availability of U.S. production capability. Virtually all long term con- tracts signed will be with non-U.S. sellers. 5) An awareness will begin to develop among U.S. buyers that we are approaching a period of dependence upon foreign uranium (which will be true). The history of the uranium market has been one of dramatic changes and overreaction to those changes. The rapid price rise of a few years ago generated excess U.S. production capacity and the rapid price drop of the last two years will almost certainly result in too little capacity. It will soon be difficult for U.S. buyers to buy domestic material except on the spot market. The question is, "will they care?" The lack of demand, of course, is the underlying reason for the current poor health of the uranium industry. In 1972, 1973 and 1974 collectively, there were 105 nuclear reactors ordered in the U.S. That ordering rate was expected to continue and accelerate throughout this century. In 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1980 altogether, there were 56 more reactors cancelled than ordered. The net growth of our only customer since 1974 has been a negative 56. TO put this in perspective, if these 56 reactors were operating now it would more than double present U.S. uranium consumption. Underlying lack of demand is something that is simply not going to change in this decade. Time is going to be required. The NRC indicates that the maximum feasible number of new reactors that can be licensed each year is six. That would increase uranium consumption by only 10% per year. New reactors, if ordered tomorrow, would not generate new uranium demand until after 1990. Even so, United States&apos; consumption of uranium will rise from the 1980 level of 18 million pounds per year, to

Jan 1, 1982

By Kristen R. Bingham

"Today, more than ever, drilling and blasting contractors are challenged to manage the ever-changing risks associated with blasting operations. New neighborhoods are encroaching upon mine sites and blasting projects are confronted with increasing scrutiny by permit issuing authorities and nearby residents disgruntled by new construction. The act of transporting explosives material to and from thejobsite is far from easy and trouble-free. At the same time, the pressure to stay in compliance with the growing number of government regulations continues to mount. While new tools and technology are appearing in the workplace to address some of these challenges, losses still occur. Can the datagenerated by this technology help drilling and blasting contractors make better decisions? While basic risk management principles are still applicable, do new tools and technology assist in the effort to prevent losses? What are the downsides? In this age of new technology, is face-to-face interaction still necessary? While technology is certainly a useful component in the drilling and blasting world, can it be helpful in defending claims?"

Jan 1, 2017

By G. E. Frantti

UNDER the auspices of the Geophysical Committee of Michigan College of Mining and Technology, an investigation was made in Michigan&apos;s Upper Peninsula to obtain geophysical data" related to the regional subsurface geology in the area covered by Paleozoic sediments. The area surveyed includes that portion of the Upper Peninsula which lies between R18W to R26W and T41N and T49N, covering approximately 1300 square miles. On the index map, Fig. 1, it is represented by the cross-hatched zone west of Munising. Four of the five sites of detailed investigation are indicated by the letters A, B, C, and D. A detailed gravity and magnetic survey had previously been conducted by J. G. Wilsonz near Perkins, 8 miles north of Rapid River, on a local anomalous area. Results of his work, which showed a large positive magnetic anomaly associated with a gravity anomaly, aroused interest in the possible economic significance of the formations underlying the Paleozoic sediments in this part of the Upper Peninsula. Early in the 1900&apos;s the Michigan Geological Survey, as well as many private companies, had done a considerable amount of dip needle work near the southwest corner of the area discussed in this paper. Most of the information available to the writer was obtained from indicated magnetic anomalies on the geological map of the northern peninsula of Michigan. Results of the geophysical activities of mining companies in the vicinity of the Marquette range and Gwinn district were unavailable to the author. Physiography and Geography: The region under consideration has low to moderate relief. About half the area is comprised of swampy lowlands, and because of the swamps and forests much of the land is almost inaccessible. The major drainage system is dendritic, with streams flowing into Lake Michigan on the south and Lake Superior on the north. The general geology, shown in Fig. 2, indicates an overlay of Paleozoic sediments on pre-Cambrian formations along a line running approximately south from Marquette (not shown on the geological map). Actual contact between pre-Cambrian and Paleozoic sediments is not known because most of the area is covered with glacial till, and outcrops are very scarce. Exposures of the Paleozoic sediments show that these beds in the northern areas dip gently under Lake Superior and that in the southern areas they &apos;dip gently to the southeast. Outcroppings of the pre-Cambrian formations occur primarily to the west of the surveyed area except in the northwest corner where the Laurentian series outcrop as far east as the Gwinn district and also in T46N, R24W. Instrumentation: Gravity measurements were made with the Worden portable gravity meter. Since this was chiefly a reconnaissance regional survey, both the large and small dials were used. The instrument used had a constant of 0.0035 milligals per scale division, a working range of about 25 milligals.

Jan 1, 1957

By M. J. Adam

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has investigated the partitioning of complex minerals to simpler phases using sulfidation reactions for selective extraction of mineral values. This report describes research in which thermal processing of the complex Ti-bearing mineral ilmenite (FeTi03) resulted in partitioning of the valuable Ti metal to the simpler compound rutile (TiO2). Samples of ilmenite were blended with elemental S for thermal treatment at various temperatures under controlled atmospheres in an effort to dissociate the Fe from the ilmenite complex. Product characterization revealed that the Fe was partitioned &apos;from the ilmenite, forming a rim of pyrrhotite/pyrite (FeS/FeS2) on a rut il e core. The products were agate milled and then subjected to cursory magnetic and flotation techniques in an attempt to physically separate the partitioned phases. Partitioning results and phase concentration data are reported relative to thermal treatment variables and physical separation techniques.

Jan 1, 1991

By T. B. Braun

Cathode contamination is the principal factor affecting the quality of electrorefined copper. It is commonly accepted that annealability is unfavorably affected by the following elements, in decreasing order of adverse effect: tellurium, selenium, bismuth, antimony, and arsenic. Silver in cathodes has importance as it represents a nonrecoverable loss of silver to the refinery. Mechanisms for the contamination of cathodes by these elements are examined and the effect of operating variables on contamination, including anode composition, electrolyte composition, electrolyte temperature, addition agent practice, and electrolyte discard rate, are discussed.

Jan 1, 1976

By Ángel Cabello Victoria

El presente trabajo es un estudio técnico-económico del yacimiento minero Caridad, perteneciente a la compañía del mismo nombre en Lima, cuyas características permiten aplicar el método de corte y relleno en la minería en vetas de plata. Sin embargo, las bajas cotizaciones en el mercado mundial de los metales, minimizaron los costos de los mismos y aumentaron la productividad para mantener la mina en operación. Por tal motivo, se busca utilizar este método en pequeñas minas de plata que tienen características similares y asi recuperar el minado completo de los valores en plata, la eficiencia en la mecanización de los equipos de acarreo y volteo y reducir los accidentes por caídas de rocas, como causa principal en la minería subterránea.

Nov 8, 1982

By E. W. Davis

IF the tonnage of merchantable iron ore remaining in the Lake Superior district is divided by the average of the annual shipments for the past 20 years, it will be found that this ore supply will be exhausted in approximately 35 years. This computed exhaustion period would be an indication of the future activities of the iron-mining industry if it were not for the fact that merchantable ore is being manufactured from low-grade ore, of which there is an almost inexhaustible supply in the Lake Superior district. It is true that at present only the simplest of these low-grade ores are being concentrated to any considerable extent, but progress is being made with the treatment of the more complex ores, and now, in addition to 20 washing plants on the Mesabi Range, three plants are equipped with jigs for the treatment of ore that cannot be concentrated simply by washing. The latest addition to the ore-treating plants of the Mesabi Range is a magnetic roasting and concentration plant at Cooley, Minn., in which ore that cannot be concentrated either by washing or by jigging is roasted to the magnetic state and concentrated on magnetic separators. This plant is beginning its third season of operation, and while it is too soon to make definite predictions, there are strong indica-tions that this new process may make commercially possible the manu-facture of high-grade, merchantable iron ore from large quantities of low-grade ore now considered worthless. After the iron oxide contained in an ore has been converted to mag-netite, almost any desired grade of concentrate can be produced, using magnetic-concentration equipment of the types now in general use for the concentration of the natural magnetites of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The conversion of hematite (Fe2O3) to magnetite (Fe3O4) is easily accomplished by heating the ore to a dull red tempera-ture in a reducing atmosphere. The reaction is slightly endothermic, and while it requires 200 B.t.u. to heat to 900° F. one pound of hematite ore containing 45 per cent Fe, it requires only 100 B.t.u. to convert the oxide into magnetite. In the laboratory, using small quantities of ore, this conversion is very simple, but large furnaces suitable for commercial

Jan 1, 1936

LIST OF CONTENTSAbstractIntroductionSelected Sections of the Broken Hill LodeLocality PlansPetrology1. Zinc Corporation Mine: DDH. 5.98, section 30, No. 26 level2. Zinc Corporation Mine: DDH. 838, section 30, No. 13 level3. Broken Hill Sonth Mine: 60 ft. cont01(r above 1170 ft. level4. Broken Hill South Mine : No. 7 shaft section, 1370 ft. levelOrigin of garnet sandstone5. Barrier Central Pty. Ltd.: DDH. tJ.93, Block 136. North Broken Hill Ltd.: Junction mine, DDH. 602, No. 10 level7. North Broken Hill Ltd.: Jnnction mine, DDH. 588, No. 11 level8. North Broken Hill Ltd.: North mine, DDH. through Southern ore body, 3370 ft. level9. North Broken Hill Ltd.: North mine, Northern ore body above 2300 ft. level(a) Southern end, section 27, 77 ft. above rails(b) Northern end, section 30, 6.9 ft. above rails(c) Miscellaneons samples, sections 27 and 28Relative time of ore depositionSericitizntionStructural significance of sericitizationGCLhnite OrthoclaseApatite GarnetManganese SilicatesAlteration of manganese silicatesRelation of zinc and lead to the silicatesZinc in manganese-bearing silicatesLead in potassium and lime silicates and apatite

Jan 1, 1959

By K. G. Markkola

Since 2005, Compafifa Contractual Minera Candelaria (CCMC) has defined various strategies which aim to optimize the usage of the available energy in each of the SAG grinding circuit modules (SABC-A configuration). For this purpose, the use of larger size balls along with operating with an optimum balls/load ratio has been implemented. Additionally, in the ball mills, the amount of balls in relation to the equipment&apos;s usable diameter has been optimized. In the pebble crushing circuit, the percentage of material passing 12 mm (112 in) product has been increased by 15% by: (1) modifying the crusher mantle profile, (2) implementing a strategy for maximizing the power in each crusher, (3) using continuous improvement tools (Lean - Six Sigma), (4) redesigning SAG mills discharge grates, and (5) changing discharge grates in order to control the crusher feed size distribution profile. All these activities have improved plant throughput by 1,000 t/d with no significant capital investment. As part of the energy consumption optimization study, we have considered determining the optimum operational rate of each SAG mill, in relation to the mill liner life and also the improving the control strategy in conventional grinding.

Jan 1, 2007