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By Vladimir N. Rudashevsky, Louis J. Cabri, Nikolay S. Rudashevsky, Thomas Oberthür

"EPD (Electric Pulse disaggregation) and HS (hydroseparation) are exceptional technologies for research, concentration, evaluation, and mineral extraction of specific minerals such as precious metals (Au, Ag, PGM), kimberlites (extraction and concentration of indicator minerals), zircons and baddeleyite (recovery of objects for geochronology), and even gemstones (method of evaluation and production of the 100% gemstone concentrate of ideal crystals) etc. EPD is used for recovery of pristine undamaged crystals of diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire etc, including large crystals. It was tested on various hard ores and was especially successful for recovery of “soft” minerals from “hard” matrix. EPD products are very convenient for HS processing, resulting in representative concentrates of all heavy minerals including the finest particles (5-10 µm). The combined EPD and HS method enables high sensitivity (20 ppb) for evaluation of precious metal ores providing objective information about original grain size, associations, and recovery using a very small amount of sample (1-3 kg). Latest developments of EPD and HS techniques at CNT Mineral Consulting Inc. include the HS-21 hydroseparator (50 kg/hr) and the Spark-21 EPD (5 t/hr), which enables use of both techniques for prospecting and mineral processing of industrial size samples of certain ores.INTRODUCTIONThe main task for mineral processors is to find a reliable technology for testing of mining feasibility and the efficiency of mineral extraction procedures. Among various mineral processing approaches of extraction and concentration there are two alternative cost-effective methods that can be described as the most environmentally benign and complementary: electric-pulse disaggregation and hydroseparation. These techniques were tested on many different ore types and process products with great success providing a precise and comprehensive mineralogical determination of different accessory precious metal and other useful minerals constituent in rocks, ores, and tailings.This article describes several examples of EPD and HS use: native gold from the Kostomuksha deposit (Karelia, Russia), a Ag-Au deposit in South America, zircons from ancient ultramafic igneous rocks of SW Greenland, bauxites of West Australia, PGM from the Driekop dunite pipe and gemstones (ruby, sapphire, emerald and demantoid) from different deposits."

Jan 1, 2008

By Guy Chevalier, Jean-Guy Chartrand, Louis Barrette, Daniel Michaud, Michel Fortin

"COREM has developed, specifically for the mineral industry, a mobile laboratory using the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technique. It has been used to perform onstream analysis (OSA) of the chemical composition of slurries in both gold-ore and iron-ore processing plants. Industrial tests have been carried out respectively at La Mine Doyon (Cambior), a gold-ore processing plant near Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, and at QCM's iron-ore pelletizing plant in Port-Cartier, Quebec. The aim was to demonstrate that the LIBS technique is capable of providing information that meets the needs for process control. C, Si, Ca, Mg, Mn and Al were the elements targeted on iron ore while Cu, Fe, Ag and Au were targeted for gold ore. The results obtained meet or exceed the requirements for process control and consequently clearly show that the LIBS technique is suitable for industrial applications.The feasibility of OSA, through in-plant validations using COREM’s LIBS mobile laboratory, has been demonstrated in four essential aspects: slurry sampling, LIBS chemical measurement, robustness for continuous operation, and functionality for industrial operators.INTRODUCTIONThere is a general need for optimization in the mineral industry. Process control is a favoured means to achieve this goal (McKee 1991). Real-time knowledge of process status is the key to effective control (Da Silva 1994). Only a few techniques, such as XRF, NMR and digital imaging, are currently amenable to chemically monitor industrial processes (Braden 2002). LIBS is an emerging technique with appealing characteristics for on-line and real-time measurement of bulk material (Lorenzen 1992, Palanco 2000). While our ultimate goal is to provide our industrial partners with performing monitoring tools, a shorter-viewed objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a LIBS system for OSA. The LIBS technique has shown interesting capabilities for measuring solids, liquids, dusts and gases. Our work has focused on mineral slurries (Barrette 1999 and 2001, Turmel 1999). Special equipment is needed to perform in-plant validations. A mobile laboratory based on the LIBS technology has been assembled for this task."

Jan 1, 2004

By Edwaldo Ferreira Brandão

Os aços avançados de alta resistência (Advanced High Strength Steels - AHSS) vêm sendo uma solução atrativa na construção de estruturas automotivas mais leves e seguras, pois combinam alta resistência e boa conformabilidade. Neste trabalho, foram realizadas simulações numéricas e experimentos em escala industrial, com aços fornecidos pela Usiminas, da estampagem de uma travessa dianteira de suspensão automotiva. O objetivo desses experimentos foi avaliar a estampabilidade deste componente, que atualmente é fabricado com o aço de alta resistência baixa liga (HSLA340, 2,0 mm), quando substituído pelos aços Dual Phase (DP600, 1,6 e 1,8 mm) e Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP700, 1,6 mm). As simulações numéricas reproduziram o padrão de deformação destes materiais durante os processos de conformação e o perfil geométrico do componente. A travessa de suspensão automotiva foi estampada com sucesso com os AHSS propostos.

Aug 16, 2017

By Chih-Huey Lin

The Au/?-Al2O3 catalyst prepared by AuCl3 impregnation is subjected to the influence of residual chlorine after an oven drying. A post-impregnation NH4OH treatment was able to eliminate chlorine, and to reduce the cluster size of Au moiety. However, the CO oxidation activity was not increased by this post-impregnation NH4OH treatment. This suggests that certain metal-support interaction (MSI) is the determining factor for the activity of Au catalysts. Thermal treatment under H2, O2 or He was attempted to increase MSI of the prepared catalyst with or without the post-impregnation NH4OH treatment. No significant activity enhancement was found but the TPD analysis suggests that a H2 treatment has a higher chance to induce MSI.

Oct 1, 2003

By S Basu, S L. A Gowravaram

CaF2 has been a common constituent in a wide variety of welding fluxes, including those used for submerged arc welding (SAW). The widespread use of CaF2 stems from its role in lowering the liquidus temperature as well as the viscosity of the molten slag that covers the weld pool. However, the harmful effect of fluoride evaporation from molten flux, on the environment as well as the health of the users is becoming increasingly evident over the years. This has led to increasing attention towards reducing the CaF2 concentration in the fluxes. The fluoride-free formulations face the challenging requirement to maintain the thermo-physical properties (viscosity, liquidus temperature etc) like those observed in fluoride-containing fluxes. In the present work, three fluxes with compositions in the CaO-MnO-SiO2-Al2O3 system have been identified as promising alternatives to the CaF2-rich fluxes. However, the thermo-physical properties of any such flux need to be comparable to CaF2-based commercial SAW fluxes before it can be adopted for regular use. The single hot thermocouple technique (SHTT) has been used by several researchers in the past as a tool for observing the melting and solidification characteristics of fluxes. This device has been developed in the present work and is used to characterise the melting behaviour of the fluxes. The measured solidus and liquidus temperatures from SHTT were compared with the results from differential thermal analysis (DTA) and simulations using the FactSage™ software for a comprehensive understanding. In spite of having a slight deviation in the measured values from the multiple techniques, the results obtained from these multiple methods show that the selected compositions could be potential CaF2 free alternative welding fluxes.

Jun 19, 2024

The recovery by flotation of some complex uranium minerals such as brannerite and davidite is described. Anionic reagents used for flotation of iron and titanium oxides' are suitable. If care is taken, to emulsify the reagents the slime fractions may be satisfactorilytreated.INTRODUCTIONUranium ores are usually treated by direct leaching with acid or alkali according to the nature of the gangue materials. Concentration of the uranium minerals prior to leaching is not commonly practised because of the earthy nature of most uranium minerals and the difficult mineral dressing problem they pose. Some of the harder complex oxides such as davidite and brannerite are amenable to flotation. This is fortunate since they usually require an expensive, strong acid treat~ent to dissolve the uranium. Flotation tests were commenced in 1949 by officers of the South Australian Department of Mines stationed at Adelaide, first in the School of Mines, then in the University of Adelaide and finally in Departmental mineral dressing laboratories at Thebarton. Separation of daviditefrom Radium Hill and Mount Victoria ores, brannerite from Crocker's Well ore, and secondary uranium minerals from Myponga ore was attempted.The development of the flotation reagents to separate the oxides from silica and the silicates is first described, then some of the results obtained are presented as tables.DEVELOPMENT OF FLOTATION REAGENTSThe davidite at Radium Hill is associated with iron and titanium oxides, qu;a,rtz and biotite as replacement deposits in shears. The davidite, rutile,' ilmenite and hematite usually occur in segregations from nut size to masses of several pounds. They are associated as a complexity of...

Jan 1, 1955

By Everson P. T, Moyle F. J

Magnesite-rich and dolomite-rich ores from the Savage River region of Tasmania are being considered as potential feed material for a commercial process for production of magnesia.Two selected samples have been characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, and differential thermal and thermogravimetric analysis. The materials differ in calcination behaviour, with magnesite decomposing at a significantly lower temperature than dolomite. Calcination conditions have a marked effect on the rate and percentage of magnesium dissolved as the bicarbonate when slurries of the calcine are leached with carbon dioxide. From a process point of view, the feed should have the highest possible magnesite/dolomite ratio, while the optimum calcination conditions are determined by the behaviour of the magnesite component of the feed.From batch calcination tests, it is apparent that the optimum calcination conditions for magnesite-rich ore are a temperature in the vicinity of 700°C and a calcination time of one hour.

Jan 1, 1981

By Gordon I. McPhail

"El presente texto señala un método de conservación del agua y diseños de drenajes para el control de ARD (Drenaje Ácido de Rocas). El método fue aplicado en el desarrollo de un proyecto aurífero en Argentina, donde dada la cercanía de la mina con el pueblo, se eliminó el uso del cianuro y se empleó el procesamiento off-site que contó con una gran cantidad de escenarios de desarrollo viables. Este planeamiento considera un proceso integral de molienda, concentración y relaves que reemplaza las instalaciones para el almacenamiento de relaves (TSF) como entidades independientes. Así también cuantifica las compensaciones hechas entre los beneficios y efectos sociales, económicos y ambientales. "

Jul 1, 2016

From March to May of 1963, the Bureau of Mineral Resources carried out an experimental aeromagnetic survey at Cobar, New South Wales, to field test a proton-precession magnetometer installation in the Cessna aircraft VH-GEO. The Cobar area was chosen as considerable information was already held on the Earth's magnetic field there, which was known to provide a range of anomalous areas that are not excessively disturbed.A procedure for survey flying and methods for processing data were developed during the survey. Contour maps of the aeromagnetic results were produced in the field. The experimental survey was successful in outlining magnetic anomalies in detail.INTRODUCTIONSince 1951 the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics (B.M.R.) has carried out an airborne magnetometer exploration programme with DC.3 aircraft carrying fluxgate magnetometer equipment. Recently a proton-precession magnetometer was developed by the Design and Development Group of the B.M.R. for observatory use. One unit modified for airborne use was installed in the Cessna light aircraft, VH-GEO. The Cessna was modified structurally to take the magnetometer, associated bird, and winch gear.The proton-precession magnetometer has many good features.1. It utilises the transistor and associated solid-state devices in its electronics, and hence is light and small.This is the basic feature allowing its installation in a light aircraft. The transistor circuits have a high reliability factor and owing to the card sub-unit...

Jan 1, 1964

By Thiago Alexander Heck

A indústria de máquinas e equipamentos hidráulicos está manufaturando produtos com tolerâncias de ajustes dimensionais cada vez menores, visando o prolongamento da vida útil e o alto rendimento de tais componentes. Nesta perspectiva, é notória a necessidade de identificar as principais fontes de contaminação existentes nos fluidos hidráulicos, a fim de controla-los. A partir da coleta de amostras de um óleo hidráulico que passa por uma filtragem nominal e de um óleo hidráulico que passa por um processo de filtração absoluta, foi realizada a contagem de partículas, análise por fluorescência de raios-x, análise microscópica ótica e análise por microscopia eletrônica de varredura, para estas amostras. Com base nas análises realizadas, foi possível constatar a importância do processo de filtragem absoluta na redução dos níveis de contaminação do óleo hidráulico.

Aug 16, 2017

By Víctor Barrientos

"El presente texto es un estudio realizado para seleccionar la alternativa de menor costo global a largo plazo para el reemplazo de un cargador frontal en arriendo y que tiene 32.000 horas de operación. Para ellos se seleccionaron 3 alternativas de 5 -en tanto el equipo que seguirá operando en faena, será uno de igual marca y modelo y se contempla un equipo de otra marca, pero de capacidad y performance equivalente. Asimismo, para la evaluación se utilizó el criterio del costo anual equivalente (CAE) que sirve para decidir entre proyectos alternativos y con vidas útiles distintas. Sin embargo, la limitación está en la escasez de información en costos de operación y mantenimiento (O&M), desconocimiento del impacto de las prácticas operaciones, condiciones climáticas en las vidas útiles de los componentes de mayor valor y las condiciones de mercados de equipos mineros en arriendo."

Jun 1, 2016

By AIME AIME

OUT of the fabulous iron ranges of Michigan?s Upper Peninsula since Pearl Harbor have come go to the steel mills to become tanks, guns, ships, and other weapons for a United Nations' victory. But the contributions to the war effort, as far as Michigan's iron country is concerned, do not stop there. The same men who mine iron ore deep inside the earth also are "mining" on top of the ground, gleaning a harvest of scrap iron and steel that is writing a big chapter in the War Production Board's salvage program. At virtually every mine over an area of a hundred square miles, everyone from the top mine official and straw boss to the man in the dippings is scrap conscious. They know the importance of the ore they mine but they are equally familiar with the importance of iron and steel scrap in war production. The successful job they are doing in salvage is a tribute to the entire Upper Michigan mining industry and to the man who marshaled them into action-John M. Bush, chief of the land department for the Cleveland- Cliffs Iron Co. at Negaunee, and for ten years an A.I.M.E. member. Also, this job should be an inspiration to 611 mining. metallurgical, and petroleum communities as to the latent possibilities of organized scrap recovery.

Jan 1, 1943

By Antonio Carlos Aguiar Gagno Junior

Este trabalho tem como objetivo mostrar a plataforma de integração de dados de inspeção preditiva e sensitiva desenvolvida na ArcelorMittal Tubarão para controle da condição dos ativos, com foco em ganho de produtividade, confiabilidade, e de eficácia das avaliações. O trabalho se constitui no desenvolvimento um sistema informatizado que integre e disponibilize dados em uma plataforma única, a partir de dados migrados dos diversos sistemas específicos já existentes na ArcelorMittal Tubarão, como é o caso do sistema de controle de vibrações, lubrificantes, termografia, grandezas elétricas, além dos dados de inspeção sensitiva. O sistema visa integrar os dados dos ativos das unidades operacionais da ArcelorMittal Tubarão que tenham variáveis de controle, possibilitando a correlação entre estas variáveis de condição e também com as variáveis de processo. A integração dos dados auxilia as equipes de manutenção na detecção imediata e direta das condições operacionais dos ativos, bem como permite avaliar antecipadamente a sua probabilidade de falhas. O sistema também permite construir uma base de dados consistente, que será um pilar importante para desenvolvimento de sistema de auxílio na tomada de decisão.

Oct 30, 2017

This work presents: 1.) the results obtained from measurements of temperature profiles in pillars and at working faces of three coal mines located in Colorado and New Mexico, 2) a comparison of the experimental results with theoretical predictors based on linear heat flow models, and 3) temperature profile predictions based on a two dimensional coal mine model with an inclined crack located in the roof or wall of the opening. The thermal properties of the coal and shale samples taken from the mines were used as input data for the computer model. Good agreement was found between the measured profiles and the theoretical values obtained with the one dimensional model. The two dimensional model results show that a visible crack (0.01-0.07-ft thick) in a coal roof causes a surface temperature difference from 0.2 to 1°F at the edge of the crack for rock exposed to air from 1 hr to 288 hrs and with the air to rock temperature differences from 2°-6°F. A temperature difference of 0.3 °F was found between solid and broken rock in a shale roof with a 0.03-ft thick crack inclined 45° to the horizontal after a ventilating time of 48 hrs and the air to rock temperature difference of 2.1°F.

Jan 1, 1972

By ANGELA NAIR AVELAR, Reiner Neumann, PAULO R. G. BRANDÃO

Three types of apatite were identified by means of cathodoluminescence (CL) images in flotation concentrate and tailing samples from the Catalão Mine in Brazil. They are predominantly blue apatite, followed by green apatite and, less frequently, yellow apatite. The chemical compositions of these types of apatite were determined by electron microprobe analysis and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Blue and green apatite responded well to the process, thus remaining in the concentrate, while yellow apatite remained in the tailings. Yellow apatite has the lowest phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5 ) content and largest anionic and cationic sites substitution, followed by green apatite, whereas blue apatite is the most homogeneous, with highest phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) grades and lowest substitution level.

By Jamal Rostami, Mark Board, Clayr Alexander, Muthu Vinayak Thyagarajan

In the past several decades, many major equipment manufacturers have ventured into developing new technology for underground hard rock excavation. This includes variety of configurations for full and partial face mobile excavation units. Mining industry prefers machines that can excavate noncircular, flat invert profiles and be able to make tight turns in hard rock. The need to use disc cutters for cutting hard rock has impeded the development of such machines due to the need for gripper system or large mass of a machine to support the force requirements of the disc cutters. Most of the prior attempts have been partially successful and the operations have faced some practical limits and challenges. Among the units that have been successfully used, one can name mobile miner, which was used for rock excavation in some projects. A redesigned mobile miner, called the “Remote Vein Miner,” or RVM, has been developed by Epiroc for underground hard rock mining in Hecla’s Lucky Friday Mine. This equipment potentially opens numerous opportunities for innovation in civil tunneling projects, where the operational flexibility and accessibility of a TBM’s limited tunnel path, design of the profile, and cost are limiting factors. This paper explores the application of the RVM in tunneling projects, its advantages and possible areas of innovation in tunnel planning and design.

Jun 13, 2021

By J Savage, A Crawford, M Doyle, N McNaughton, T G. Blenkinsop

Area selection criteria for gold exploration have historically highlighted the low prospectivity of high-metamorphic grade terranes relative to regions with lower metamorphic grades. The Tropicana gold project, Western Australia, is a rare example of a major greenfields gold discovery in Archean mid-amphibolite to granulite-facies gneissic rocks that have experienced widespread recrystallisation and partial melting.The project, located on the tectonically reworked eastern margin of the Yilgarn Craton, is part of the Tropicana Joint Venture, which is 70 per cent owned by AngloGold Ashanti Australia (manager) and 30 per cent by Independence Group NL. Construction of the mine commenced in the June quarter of 2011 and first gold pour from open pit mining is anticipated in the December quarter of 2013. The approved project will have a ten-year mine life and in the first three years of operation, gold production will be between 470 000 - 490 000 oz/a at a cash cost of A$590 - A$630/oz.Reserves as at 31 December 2011 total 56.4 Mt grading 2.16 g/t for 3.91 Moz of gold. The mineral resource, as of 30 December 2012, has grown to 7.89 Moz of contained gold, including Inferred Resources of 11.9 Mt at 2.83 g/t for 1.08 Moz.Economic gold mineralisation post-dates peak metamorphism and is interpreted as younger in age (ca. 2500 Ma) than other gold deposits in the Yilgarn Craton on the basis of structural and geochronological constraints. Mineralisation is genetically related to an imbricate thrust stack that records a prolonged history of reactivation during the Proterozoic era. Gold mineralisation formed from higher temperature (>350¦C) silica-undersaturated fluids that preferentially migrated though a favourable intensely potassium metasomatised zone. Permeability created during brittle fragmentation was accompanied by replacement of mafic metamorphic minerals, and synchronous partitioning of strain into pervasively biotite-sericite-pyrite-altered stylolites and shear planes that bound more competent lithons.CITATION:Doyle, M, Savage, J, Blenkinsop, T G, Crawford, A and McNaughton, N, 2013. Tropicana - unravelling the complexity of a +6 million ounce gold deposit hosted in granulite facies metamorphic rocks, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 87-94 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

By Pieter-Jan Kleiterp

Highwall mining is a mining method to extract coal from a final boundary in opencut mining, trench mining or contour mining. This boundary may have been reached because of economic constraints (economic strip limit) or geographic constraints, such as spoil heaps and rivers. Coal is mined from visible, horizontal, or near-horizontal coal seams by making rectangular, parallel, unsupported drives with an unmanned cutterhead and coal transport system. This is controlled from a mining unit, or launch frame, positioned outside the drive, in front of the highwall. Removal of overburden is not required or is limited to small quantities only.

Jan 1, 2010

By Gabriel Pessoa Vilas Boas

O presente artigo apresenta um estudo sobre a mistura do nióbio em chapas de alumínio pelo processo Friction Stir Welding (FSW), levando em consideração o efeito de forjamento envolvido na soldagem. O processo FSW, consiste em utilizar uma ferramenta rotativa que em contato com o material a ser soldado gera atrito, provocando aumento de temperatura e deformação plástica. O aquecimento gerado é abaixo do ponto de fusão dos materiais envolvidos, por isso é considerado como solda em estado sólido. Para alcançar os objetivos desta pesquisa, conta-se com a colaboração da Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração (CBMM), que forneceu amostras de Nióbio Metálico em cavaco para proceder aos experimentos deste artigo. A amostra adquirida foi triturada manualmente, em seguida, cominuido em moinho de bola para obtê-lo em forma de pó, viabilizando, assim, a inserção na junta a ser soldada. O nióbio foi colocado entre dois metais de base de Al-Mg 5052F que foi soldado pelo processo FSW, em uma máquina adaptada para esse processo. Após a soldagem foi feito a metalografia na seção transversal onde observou-se uma boa mistura do nióbio no metal soldado. Além disso, foi analisado a microestrutura formada e a composição química através do microscópio eletrônico de varredura (MEV).

Oct 30, 2017

Just 104 km (65 miles) from Phoenix, AZ, Rio Tinto hopes its new Resolution Copper Mine will be a showcase for the Rio Tinto management philosophy. Its goal is to have a net positive impact. In every place that Rio Tinto mines, it wants to be able to have an overall beneficial effect on the local community, environment and economy. ?We?re constantly working to understand our impacts, to understand how to minimize our impacts and understand how to mitigate those impacts,? said Resolution Copper Mining chief executive officer David Salisbury, from the global headquarters of Rio Tinto Minerals in Green-wood Village, CO.

Jan 1, 2010