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New Zealand's obligations under Kyoto protocol New Zealand's economic and emissions profile Use of energy and electricity generation in New Zealand World energy supply Coal's rule in the world today Coal and New Zealand Future energy needs in New Zealand Clean coal technologies

Jan 1, 2002

Following a summary of aerodynamic principles and the changes imposed by the process, areas important to the operator are then enumerated. These include furnace lines, cooling and casting technology, coke properties, gas distribution and others. Questions are raised on the implication of lowering the hearth substantially below the tuyeres and about the status of stack injection. Finally, the future developments are identified as being those associated with gas volumes required to pass through the furnace stack per unit time or per tonne of product.

Jan 1, 1975

Back at the turn of the century, the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia was entering its moment of glory. Development was going ahead at a cracking pace and miles of shaft and drives were being opened up. On the Great Boulder Gold mine alone, records show that there were two kilometres of shaft and 30 kilometres of -driving completed in the first five years of operation.Similar statistics were being achieved by hundreds of other mines on the Golden Mile and in other districts in WA.

Jan 1, 1993

Operation of a pilot heavy medium separation plant allows flexibility of operation not normally possible in an operating plant. Much useful data can be obtained, although some limitations apply. Projects carried out at AMDEL have included HMC separations at 1.5 to 3.6 specific gravity, comparative operation of HMC and DWP separators and the use of fine feed and product screens. Investigations of this type have provided a considerable amount of information on HMS plant performance and characteristics under a wide range of operating conditions.

Jan 1, 1987

By Warner B. D

Smelting at Mount Morgan started in 1906 with blast furnaces which were replaced by a reverberatory furnace in 1939. The second reverberatory, commissioned in 1944, was replaced by a copper flash smelter in 1972. Flotation concentrates, dried to 0.05 per cent moisture, were oxidised under accurately controlled conditions and produced 45 per cent Cu matte and a slag in the flash smelter. The matte was converted to blister copper and the slag was slowly cooled before grinding and retreatment in a flotation concentrator.

Jan 1, 1974

Petroleum exploration and development is vitally important for the future well being of Australia. The Australian petroleum exploration/development industry is alive but not so well. A combination of.:factors point to the industry requiring a much more mature effort in both short and longer-term planning to ensure greater success and effectiveness for petroleum discoveries and development. While many petroleum exploration companies are competently run, there are far too many which will be lucky to survive, even though their exploration areas are highly Prospective.

Jan 1, 1983

By K Kuganathan

This paper describes a new methodology that can be applied to compare several bench extraction strategies requiring backfill. The method is applicable at the planning or operational stages and can be used to maintain dilution within design parameters and improve the overall economics of bench stoping operations. The parameters influencing bench performance have been empirically rated based on economical, geomechanical, operational and backfill properties. Four different extraction strategies have been considered and rated from most preferred to less preferred using an integrated approach to bench extraction.

Jan 1, 1998

ICI Australia has been developing PC-based software to assist the blast engineer to design and monitor open pit blasts. The scope of this software differs significantly from commercially available mine design packages.The software is designed for routine use in a normal production environment. The system enables the engineer to produce practical documents which include: a drilling plan, a loading sheet, a hook-up diagram, an inventory of explosives and auxiliary items, and other data on the blast such as tonnages and powder factors.

Jan 1, 1992

IN presenting the following short paper the writer hopes to illustrate some uses of explosives in industrial work under conditions different to those prevailing on mining fields. This paper is based on experience gained at the Newcastle steel works of the Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited. The management had decided that as soon as No. 2 blast furnace which is of an improved design was ready to be put into commission, No. 1 blast furpace was to be dismantled and reconstructed to a similar design to No. 2 furnace. This reconstruction entailed the removal of the brick lining of the furnace shaft, and, also the removal and disposal of the,"salamander" and hearth-lining. For the information of members who may possibly be unacquainted with the term "salamander," it might be explained that this term is used by iron metallurgists to denote the mass of iron and slag formed at the- bottom of the furnace, whilst in commission.The method of disposal depends upon the size and nature of the salamander, and in the case under review it was decided to bury it below the hearth of the 'furnace' to be reconstructed. A passage-way was made in the concrete walls of the cast house, and the sand-filling of the cast house removed sufficiently to allow of the concrete foundations of the furnace being reached. This passage-way was extended until the hearth was encountered. The next operation was the removal of the hearth-lining below the salamander. The removal of the concrete was not difficult...

Jan 1, 1921

Urban railway systems need high invest- ments, especially if their routes and stations have to be placed in the subsurface. In the FRG the construction and equipment cost of urban underground railway systems are in the range of 60 to 100 Mill DM per km tunnel. For this reason, track sections on the surface and on elevated structures are used as far as that is possible. Considering whole systems, the costs are in a range from to 45 Mill DM per km length for a metro system with about 80 % of its tracks and stations in tunnels and from 20 to 25 Mill DM per km for a light railway system with about 25 % subsurface infra= structure. The amount of route lengths in tunnels depends on the size of a city, the situation regarding above ground structure and free space on the surface, the level of service quality which has to be achieved with the railway system etc. Despite of the urgent needs to improve the transport conditions there very often arise doubts if an urban railway system is really necessary and can be justified in an economic sense. The experience from many cities around the world shows, that there arise a lot of benefits from urban railway systems, especially with larger sections placed under- ground. They are to be found in the interests of the operator (f.e. operating costs), the user (travel time, quality of service etc.) and regarding social aspects (environmental protection, accidents, consumption of energy Etc.).

Jan 1, 1987

By G Solly, P J. Leevers

Day-to-day operating practices at existing operations need provide high quality data for decisions that will impact directly on the potential value of the available resource, in addition to meeting standards of quality expected of data used in feasibility studies that will be completed to obtain additional capital required to finance operational improvements. Drill hole location, down hole survey and assay data standards of accuracy and precision have received considerable attention in recent years. The authors propose that geological descriptions of both cored and non-cored drilling warrant at least equal attention, considering their fundamental role in establishing the framework used for geological modeling and resource estimation. The iron ore deposits of the Middleback Ranges have been a major source of iron ore for almost a century. High-grade hematite-dominant ore is currently mined by OneSteel from three open pit operations supplying ore to the companyÆs integrated steelworks at Whyalla. A review of OneSteelÆs future iron ore resources, commenced in 2002, highlighted the need for more flexible and comprehensive management of all forms of geological data used in resource evaluation. Driving this program was the information needs of feasibility studies of the Iron Magnet deposit, located beneath the existing Iron Duke and Iron Duchess mines. Prior to the beginning of 2003, resource evaluation drilling data collected by OneSteel was managed using an in-house system based on industry standard relational database software. The system was demonstrably effective in ensuring the fundamental integrity of basic drilling data, but lacked necessary capabilities for the acquisition and management of geological descriptions, geotechnical and geophysical data obtained by down-hole logging. OneSteelÆs existing system for the management and interpretation of geological descriptions was restricted to storage of a single three digit code for each lithological description interval. The original logs for a large number of older drill holes could not be located, having been either poorly archived or culled from the database in the belief that they did not contribute to the understanding of the resources currently being mined. The three digit codes represented a combination of lithological and stratigraphic descriptions, including many subtle variations in iron ore colour and texture believed to be associated with variations in geochemistry, but subsequently demonstrated to be either incorrect or inconsistently applied. This resulted in the establishment of a plethora of codes for a relatively small number of distinct lithologies. Improvements implemented by OneSteel geologists addressed these shortcomings by ensuring the new data management system: facilitated the objective description of lithological characteristics; distinguished between obsevations and interpretations (eg lithology versus stratigraphy); promoted consistency between descriptions provided by different geologists; and helped to ensure data integrity by developing an audit trail for alterations made to data subsequent to its acquisition. The data used to develop interpretations of mineralisation distribution and characteristics are fundamental to the effective utilisation of a mineral resource: any mineÆs most important asset. Resource related risk is widely recognised as the principal source of technical risks affecting resource development projects, whether they are new mines or expansions of existing operations. A key lesson from this work is that most commercial or æin-houseÆ developed geological data management systems are able to handle basic data validation tasks effectively. Geologists, however, need to ensure that the data management system is appropriately structured to help promote the acquisition of objective and consistent data for interpretation.

Jan 1, 2003

Accident control has been a pre occupation of progressive industrial and mining companies for many years but few have attempted more than direct injury control. In recent years, particularly in North America, analyses of accident costs have shown that material damage resulting from accidents is usually of greater economic significance than injuries and this has led to the concept of loss control. Loss control is an attempt to take the emphasis off injury prevention and to concentrate on the basic factors which affect both the health of the individual and of the company. The deterrent to greater acceptance of this philosophy has been the apparent diffi- culties of implementing a loss control programme but Associated Minerals Consolidated Limited has adopted a simple approach. It has had a minimum disturbing effect on normal operations because existing systems have been modified to provide the new information required. It is suggested that the programme outlined is applicable to other mining ventures and is a practical method of providing benefits for both the company and its employees.

Jan 1, 1975

As an Inspector of Mines in Queensland, my main responsibilities include the enforcement of the Mining Act 1968 - 1986, the Mines Regulation Act 1964 - 1989 and the Metalliferous Mining regulations 1989 to promote the safe and responsible exploitation of the States' mineral wealth.An important adjunct to this task is the offering of an advisory service to the mining industry. However, in the pursuit of my duties to this regard, I have sadly observed in some cases, numerous wrong doings and negative activities by miners which have led to their ultimate demise, not to mention that of others. Despite what I consider corrective advice, I have witnessed, again in some cases, disregard and blind pursuit for the wrong end.This then is a novel approach to get the message home in the form of a light hearted cartoon presentation relating the saga of an average Aussie battler entering the mining game unprepared, making the wrong decisions due to his own ignorance and the cleverness of others, leading finally to his and possibly others' downfall.

Jan 1, 1990

Scheduling mine development and underground construction has been the bane of most mine managersÆ lives at one time or another. Even though scheduling software has developed significantly over the last 20 years, mining projects continue to take far longer than expected to complete. It would appear that possession of a gleaming 1000 activity bar chart generated by the latest project management software and plotted in multiple colours offers no guarantee at all that any of those 1000 activities will be completed on time, let alone the project as a whole. The author has earned his æmasters in disastersÆ with more than one project running over time and budget. This paper describes some of his experiences in scheduling major mine development and construction projects and the lessons he has learnt along the way. In particular, the paper examines a range of key issues that mine schedulers must take into account when planning mining projects. The paper also examines the development of scheduling software and particular advance rates used in scheduling mine development projects in Australia.

Jan 1, 2000

By C Gormley, G Lane, J Kwak, A Hopkins

Complex processing plants present a myriad of safety issues to the design engineer. The extent to which the design engineer manages to lay the foundations for a safe plant ultimately sets the stage for life long safety performance. Industry traditionally measures engineering safety performance by indicators such as Lost Time Injuries, Restricted Work Case Injuries, Overall Incident Frequency Rates, etc. While these measures are useful indicators of performance for the construction, commissioning and operations phase of a project, they do not necessarily drive the most appropriate behaviours for Safe Plant Design. Achieving an inherently safe design requires a diligent focus on low frequency, high consequence events. First and foremost the engineering team needs to have a design culture and methodology which leads to a plant which is as close as possible to being inherently safe. Such a culture might come from an organisation that has æmindfulnessÆ about safety, and which is nurturing a culture where warning signs are recognised and addressed. This paper explores the development of mindfulness and warning signs in design.

Jan 1, 2004

A major problem with many items of underground equipment is that they have either been converted or adapted from surface equipment, or that they have been designed and assembled in comfortable offices and factories with adequate lighting, specialised tools, and ample space. As soon as they are in use underground in cramped spaces maintenance frequently becomes difficult, parts are awkward to change, and a whole range of accidents can happen.Similarly, ingenious operators discover a whole range of uses for which the equipment was not designed, such as using a loader bucket for a work platform, or scaling backs with it.Design modifications of equipment and removal of hazardous components that can trap limbs is expensive when the dangers are discovered in operation, sometimes posthumously, and it is not surprising that workers compensation insurance premiums are high. The cheapest place to ensure that equipment is safe is in the design office, where the operator should be considered first, rather than being added to a purpose built machine as an afterthought.

Jan 1, 1992

By McKee DJ

Many workers have observed an inverse relationship between final concentrate grade and valuable component recovery achieved by a flotation circuit, i.e. an increase in either grade or recovery may only be achieved at the expense of the other. The relationship is termed a "grade-recovery" curve and, in theory, limits the separation obtained by the circuit. However, circuit surveys in a nickel concentrator indicate that the operating "grade-recovery" curve of a circuit is not only determined by the nature of the ore and the circuit operating conditions, but also by the circuit design, particularly in terms of stage capacities. The surveys show that different capacity circuits can produce different operating curves for the same ore, and that capacity reallocation between stages has the potential to improve both grade and recovery. In particular, the relationship between circuit design and operating curve position is shown to be a function of the circulating loads generated by the circuit design, balancing the beneficial effects of recycling material against the proportion of plant capacity consumed by recycling.

Jan 1, 1986

It is commonly accepted that govern ments have a role in the financing of mineral development. The reasons for government involve- ment are examined in general and in the light of the current situation in Aust- ralia, particularly having regard to the ownership of resources. A brief introduction is given to the new Australian Government bodies, the Petroleum and Minerals Authority and the Australian Industry Development Cor- poration, designed to fill a new role in mineral development, and to the basic changes brought about by the Australian Government's decision to become involved in the future development of the country's mineral resources. It is generally accepted that governments do have a role in financing mineral development. This acceptance does not seem to be confined to Aust- ralia alone but is more a worldwide phenomenon. Mineral development has traditionally been regarded as the pre- serve of private enterprise and there- fore is presumed-to be profitable, and so it is instructive to ask why there is this special role for governments.

Jan 1, 1974

The economic future of the Palmer Goldfield lies with both the gold mining and the tourist industries. An equitable solution to the competition between the two involves putting a dollar value on the historical evidence there for our Australian heritage.On 23 October 1986 the Queensland Government gazetted the Palmer River Reserves R16 of 16 200 hectares, in recognition of the competing land uses emerging in the region. The intention is that historically significant gold mining sites and relics will be preserved in situ with provision for continued gold exploration and mining.This paper explores and explains the administrative process of achieving a set of Management Guidelines for Rl6 within the Queensland political milieu. The result of that process is the achievement of some of the highest preservation standards in Australia, prohibiting surface disturbance of defined Category 1 sites, and no mining proposal has yet been refused approval.The Palmer Goldfield R16 experience is a major step in achieving a co-ordinated approach to both current mining and preservation of Queensland's mining heritage.

Jan 1, 1990

By A S. Ray, P S. Thomas

The characterisation of the surface area and porosity of opals derived from Tintenbar, a volcanic environment, and Lightning Ridge, a sedimentary environment, using nitrogen gas adsorption at -196¦C is reported. Both opal types were found to have relatively low surface areas and displayed little porosity. The low surface areas observed is indicative of the ability of silica to infill voids and interstices. Thermogravimetric analysis of the samples before and after degassing was carried out to determine the amount of water removed by the degassing process. Negligible difference was found in the water content before and after degassing in the case of the Lightning Ridge sedimentary opal, while the Tintenbar volcanic opal was found to have lost more that 60 per cent of its water during the degassing process. These differences were ascribed to the differences in the silica structure of the opals with the Lightning Ridge opal having a denser cage structure, which traps the molecular water, while a more open structure is postulated for the Tintenbar opal, allowing the water to be relatively easily removed.

Jan 1, 2008