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By Eric J. Grimsey

Steady state Excel models for a copper flash smelter and an iron blast furnace are used to enhance the teaching of pyrometallurgical smelting principles within a fourth year level process engineering unit delivered at the Western Australian School of Mines. A lecture/workshop approach has been adopted in which student teams undertake process simulation assignments that illustrate the multifaceted responses of process outputs to variation of inputs, the objectives being to reinforce their understanding of smelting principles. The approach has proven to be popular with students, as evidenced by the consistently high ratings the unit has received through student feedback. This paper provides an overview of the teaching approach and process models used.

Jan 1, 2014

By White A. H, Gillies A. D S

In recent years the Australian gold industry has gone through a major expansion phase. The need for finance has led to adoption of different approaches such as the well known gold loan, forward selling, equity participation by suppliers and equipment leasing. During early periods of the expansion, significant new equity was raised chiefly for high risk exploration ventures. The major form of new equity finance was ordinary shares, often in 'No Liability' companies. The increasing capital requirement of the huge new development projects of the 1980s also spurred the use of debt finance. This trend was accelerated as high inflation and the taxation advantages of debt finance made borrowing attractive. This paper reviews major financing techniques used by the Australian gold industry with particular emphasis on the innovative financing techniques initiated recently. An analysis has been undertaken of the effects on the industry of issues such gold loans, forward selling, equity participation by suppliers, fly-in fly-out operations, contractor mining and equipment leasing. In order to achieve a better understanding of the innovative financing techniques, a survey of already published financial data from well known Australian gold mines was carried out. Data was collected from various published financial reports of gold mining companies. In addition, a questionnaire survey was sent to gold mining companies to assist the collection of further information. The results of this study show that there are a significant number of gold mines variously using gold loans, forward sales, contractor mining and fly-in and fly-out arrangements to finance their projects. Only four operations have vendor suppliers investing capital funds in their projects. Based on the findings of this study, conclusions and recommendations are drawn that these approaches are likely to be with Australian gold industry for some time in the future and will continue to be intensively applied to finance gold projects.

Jan 1, 1994

By S. A. Willis

For the past several months 1 have been considering the functions of this Society and its reasons for continuance. The fact that it is now sixty years old indicates that it must have been of value and we all know that it has contributed much that was worthwhile to Nova Scotia and the Maritime Provinces. The question arises: "What is the future of the Society, and how might its activities be altered to suit present-day activities and to be of even greater value?" Let us analyse the various activities in which we are interested and determine which, if any, are of more value than others. First of all, at least once a year we have a two-day convention which constitutes a holiday for the members and their wives. This has always been well planned and has been much enjoyed. Second, there are many social and business contacts made during the meetings and interim meetings. These certainly tend toward better relations and co-operation between the various people concerned. Mine operators meet other mine operators, engineers, people from the education fields, Department of Mines, and so forth. Various sales contacts are made at these meetings which can be of value and use to both the Company selling and the customer. Third, and of greatest importance in any conference, is the exchange of ideas by the members and by authorities from outside, and the presentation of slides and drawings, or actual visits to operations. It is upon this phase that 1 wish to elaborate. These papers are not only presented to our meetings but are generally published in the C.I.M. Bulletin so that members throughout the Dominion have access to them. Many important papers describing new phases of operations have originated through our Society.

Jan 1, 1947

By D. J. Goodings, R. J. Bonenberger, H. U. Leiste, W. L. Foumey

This paper describes a series of two-dimensional tests conducted and filmed with a high-speed (500 frames per second) video camera. The purpose of these tests was to provide a better understanding of the processes involved in creating craters and channels in water covered soils with explosives.

Jan 1, 2000

By Howard C. Turnage, Dana T. Updyke, Wayne C. Muhler

The objective of this project was to develop technical data and evaluate performance and utility of leaky feeder communications systems currently used in North American underground mines. The desired information was obtained principally through on-site surveys. Altogether, six of the seven mining companies known to be using leaky feeder communications were visited. This report covers the findings of these surveys. In addition, the report provides a brief background summary of mine communications, a technical discussion of leaky feeder systems, and conclusions and recommendations based on the results of the survey.

Jan 6, 1980

By Brendan Demich, MAHIYAR F. NASARWANJI, Alan G. Mayton

During dusk, nighttime and dawn operations, effective illumination is a crucial component of safety for getting on/off mobile surface mining equipment and for preshift inspections. U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers examined whether illuminance levels could be improved for ingress/egress systems and preshift walkaround inspections of equipment using light-emitting diode (LED) area luminaires. Illumination and glare were key metrics evaluated. Although headlamps provided adequate illumination, LED area luminaires illuminated a much broader area compared to the narrow spot lighting of the headlamp. Hence, the use of additional area luminaires can increase slip-trip-fall (STF) hazard awareness and detection. Furthermore, a commercially available luminaire demonstrated better results than a custom LED luminaire relative to discomfort and disability glare.

By Chen-Luh Lin, Jan D. Miller, Sindhoora Puvvada

Most of the future phosphate resources in Florida, which accounts for 70  percent of production in the United States, are contaminated with too much dolomite that is difficult to remove with existing industrial practices. The low-grade ore quality coupled with increased phosphate demand is of concern to the Florida phosphate industry. In order to resolve the dolomite issue, various beneficiation technologies were designed and evaluated, but none have been sufficiently successful [1]. 

By M. Duane Lackey

Electric drives hire done outstanding job in many-fields that are related to the mining industry. The equipment that is offered for electric-trucks was developed from the traction equipment which is used on the diesel electric locomotive. Rotating equipment available for use on electric trucks is identical in principle to that which is used on these locomotives. In as far as it is practical, similar controls are used. Another descendent of the diesel electric locomotive can be found in the oil well drilling industry, Here, locomotive traction motors and. electric controls have been modified to fit the particular requirements of the drilling industry, One 2400 H.P. diesel electric drilling rig drilled a 24,000 Ft. well in West Texas with an electrical maintenance cost in the order of 7¢ per hour This was a new rig and the costs are less than the average maintenance costs will be for the life of the equipment, Even soy since it took one (1) year to drill this well, this 7¢ per hour has real significance. Electric shovels use a similar type of electrical equipment; they too have shown real savings over the equipment they replaced. Since electric drives have done so well, in other fields, they warrant consideration for use in high horsepower, large capacity trucks.

Jan 1, 1961

By N. Bahrani

Photogrammetry surveys were used to document a footwall slab failure that occurred at a surface coal mine located on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. Photographs taken before and after the failure provided the pre- and post-failure geometry of the slope and the failed slab. A 2D finite element model was constructed using slope profiles. The model contained joint elements that represented the bedding surface upon which the slab slid and the model was used to analyze the footwall slope. The in situ stresses, rock properties and the bedding surface shear strength and stiffness properties are discussed. The process of mining out a valley and exposing a highwall was modelled. As expected, elastic valley rebound occurred in the model, but shear stress and shear displacement reversals along the slip surface were also observed. The modelling results provided new insight into shear strength degradation that occurs when the pit floor approaches and then passes a specific point in the highwall.

Jan 1, 2009

By F. Habashi

Japan was a closed society until 1853 when it was forced to open to the West. Mining, metallurgical, and geological education started there around 1861 when a graduate from Yale University in USA went to Japan to organize the first School of Mines. This was followed by other metallurgists from Great Britain, France, and Germany and thousands from other disciplines. The present report is a summary of the writer's first contact with Japanese metallurgists and his visits to a number of universities and research institutions in the past years.

Jan 1, 2012

By Robert Boyd

The Diamond Markets ? Supply has continuously increased over the past 25 years ? However, global supply is expected to drop by 1 to 2% by 2015 ? Demand Driven Market ?Demand is expected to grow 3% annually through to 2015 ? Supply Squeeze Anticipated (2010 to 2015) ? Consumption is exceeding rate of discovery, mine development and reserve replacement ? These fundamentals are driving increased capacity and production at existing mines in South Africa, Botswana and Russia and new areas such as Canada ? Canada is now the third largest diamond producing country in the world ? These fundamentals are also driving record levels of exploration expenditures throughout the world with particular focus on Africa and Canada

May 1, 2006

By Ulysses Forastieri de Matos

A injeção de combustíveis auxiliares pelas ventaneiras dos altos-fornos vem se mostrando, nas últimas décadas, como uma técnica de redução do consumo de combustíveis e conseqüente redução de custo de produção de gusa. Uma das últimas técnicas de injeção de combustíveis auxiliares pelas ventaneiras, utilizada por algumas usinas siderúrgicas integradas a coque, no Brasil, nos últimos anos, é a injeção de carvão pulverizado e gás natural simultâneamente, aqui chamada de co-injeção. O presente trabalho apresenta os resultados obtidos na utilização desta modalidade de injeção em escala industrial.

Aug 1, 2018

By Artur Camposo Pereira

A crescente preocupação com a qualidade da cerâmica vermelha e com o uso racional dos recursos naturais utilizados por ela, tem motivado a diversas pesquisas em busca de uma otimização de seu uso. Atualmente o setor produtivo, localizado no Norte do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, no município de Campos, conta com mais de 100 cerâmicas que fazem uso de um método empírico para formulação de massa cerâmica, tendo como principal consequência à perda da qualidade de seus produtos, isso e fruto da insuficiência de estudos dos solos em diferentes pontos das jazidas utilizadas. Este trabalho tem como objetivo a caracterização, através de ensaios de granulometria, Limites de Atterberg e análise química para um conhecimento dos solos a serem utilizados na composição da mistura. Este conhecimento traz maior percepção quanto a algumas dificuldades a serem enfrentadas pelos processos produtivos. Com os resultados encontrados pode-se dar algumas diretrizes iniciais para uma melhor adequação na formulação das misturas, diminuindo o empirismo e aumentando a qualidade dos produtos.

Oct 30, 2017

By T. Toda, R. Maddin

A study has been made of the microstructure and mechanical properties of splat-cooled aluminum-base gold alloys with gold concentration from 0.25 to 5.0 wt pct. These alloys have been quenched from the liquid state by a torsion-catapult technique, which has made it possible to pepare specimens suitable for mechanical property measwements. From the electron micrographs it has been shown that the solid solubility of gold in aluminum can be extended to 2.5 wt pct (0.35 at. pct) by splat-cooling, while the maximum equilibrium solubility is known to be less than 0.3 wt pct (0.04 at. pct). The very fine grain size (several tenths of a micron), the extended solid solubility, and the fine dispersion of a second phase (AuAl2) contribute concurrently to a substantial strengthening effect. In Al-5 wt pct Au splat-cooled specimens of less than 50 thickness, the yield strength is 17 kg per sq mm or 6 times as large as the strength of bulk specimens. For the Al-1.0 to 2.5 wt pct Au solid solution obtained by splat-cooling, the yield strength reaches 7.5 kg per sq mm after an aging treatment (for 10 hr at 200°C), while it is 3.7 kg per sq mm for the corresponding bulk specimens. A great deal of research has been done in recent years on the structure and the properties of metals and alloys rapidly quenched from the liquid state.' The term "splat-cool" has been used with the meaning of a rapid quenching from the liquid state., The splat-cooling techniques have produced large numbers of new structures, which are expressed in terms of metastable phases,3 concentrated solid solutions,4 amorphous phases,5'6 new phases,7 and so forth. Nearly all previous studies have concentrated on the physical properties; i.e., crystallography, structure, electrical resistivity, magnetism, and so forth, of the splat-cooled metals and alloys. The mechanical strength of splat-cooled metals and alloys has hardly been investigated except for some recent work by MOSS' on A1-V alloys. The principle common to all experimental techniques developed to obtain very rapid quenching rates is based on the heat transfer by conduction. Liquid must be in good thermal contact with a substrate of high heat conductivity. Both of the published devices known as the "gun" and the "piston and anvil" techniques suffer from certain shortcomings. For example, the specimen obtained by the gun technique is very small and flaky, and hence inadequate for mechanical properties measurements. On the other hand if the material is forced to yield a continuous speci- men by the piston and anvil technique, it is probable that some plastic deformation occurs during the quench. A novel method for rapid quenching of a liquid metal or alloy, the "torsion-catapult", has been devised by Roberge and Herman9 at the University of Pennsylvania. In the apparatus the melt is thrown out of a curved furnace by a catapult and impinges on a copper substrate. The apparatus has the advantage of producing a continuous foil which is relatively large in size and of a quality suitable for the measurements of mechanical properties. The quenching rate is estimated to be of the order of l05 to l06 ºC per sec, (comparable to rates achieved by the piston and anvil technique). In selecting an alloy to be studied we were made aware of the fact that gold was believed to be "insoluble" in in and consequently age hardening in the A1-Au system appeared to be interesting. Quite recently Heirnendahl13-15 revealed that the solid solubility, as determined by transmission electron microscopy, was 0.3 wt pct Au at 640°C and 0.25 wt pct Au at 600°C, decreasing with decreasing temperature. In an A1-0.2 pct Au alloy after quenching from a solution treating temperature of 600°C the yield stress was 2 kg per sq mm, and it increased up to 6 kg per sq mm after aging for 1 to 10 hr at 200°C. The precipitation occurred in the form of platelike particles mainly on (100) matrix planes. The intermediate phase n', the equilibrium phase n (AuAl2), and lattice relationships between both precipitates and the matrix were also investigated by electron microscopy. One of the purposes of the present research is to determine whether or not the solid solubility in this system, in which gold has a very small solubility in

Jan 1, 1970

By K. G. Kreider, J. H. Brophy, J. Wulff

The technology of nickel-activated sintering of tungsten powder has been successfully applied to the densification of plasma-sprayed tungsten. Nickel was added by infiltration in a zinc solution followed by evaporation of the solvent. After sintering one hour at 1300°C density 95 pct of theoretical and transverse rupture strength of 74,000 psi were obtained. Shrinkage was found to be anisotropic and the mechanism of densification was comparable to that found in the nickel-activated sintering of tungsten powder. 1 HE use of a plasma spray gun for the fabrication of massive tungsten parts has become increasingly interesting. Applications now exist where a deposit in the as-sprayed condition is satisfactory. However, these deposits are generally characterized by a lamellar anisotropic microstructure containing 15 pct porosity of which, typically, two-thirds is open to the surface. Mechanically, the as-sprayed deposits fail at relatively low stress levels with a biscuit-like fracture. As a result of these problems the possibility of improving structure and strength by sintering treatments subsequent to spraying is particularly attractive. Preferably this sintering treatment should be adaptable to large bodies of sprayed metal. The similarity between the as-sprayed tungsten structure and that of a powder compact suggests that the relatively low-temperature activated sintering technique1 might be profitably employed in the densification of plasma-sprayed tungsten. It was the purpose of the present investigation to develop a technique for introducing the nickel-activating agent into the sprayed structure, to evaluate the amount and mechanism of densification obtained as a function of time and temperature, and to obtain an indication of the relative strength before and after sintering. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Powder used for spraying was purchased from the Wah Chang Corp. in several size fractions ranging from an average size of 4 to 150 . These powders were sized further for an explicit study of the influence of average feed size on densification. All powders were dried at 200°C before use. Spraying was accomplished with a Plasma Flame unit manufactured by Thermal Dynamics Corp. Several modifications of the unit were helpful in conducting the investigation. A variable speed auger feed mechanism coupled with the carrier gas mecha nism facilitated the use of fine particle sizes. A coil of ten turns of copper tubing in series with the arc power and concentrically would around the nozzle improved nozzle life and extended the range of operating currents available. The function of the auxiliary coil was to cause the arc to spin and to prevent impingement at only one point in the nozzle. Normally air sprayed deposits were made with an arc maintained at 400 amp at 50 to 70 v. The arc was blown by a gas mixture containing from 5 pct H, 95 pct N for the finest powder feed sizes ranging to 20 pct H, 80 pct N for the coarsest size. The flow rate was maintained at 100 cu ft per hr NTP through a nozzle of 0.25 in. ID. When apraying in air, the powder stream was directed toward an aluminum substrate for ease of mechanical removal of the deposit. The substrate was cooled by diverting the plasma flame with an air jet, and a second jet was directed on the deposit surface. In this configuration a gun-to-work distance of 2 to 3 in. was found to be satisfactory. Fig. 1 represents a typical as-sprayed deposit micro-structure. Laboratory studies of protective atmosphere spraying were carried out in cylindrical chamber 8 in. in diam by 18 in. in length. In operating the nozzle attached to such a chamber, particular care was required to avoid nozzle burn out due to reduced gas flow. The structure and density of the chamber sprayed deposits varied over wide ranges depending on substrate temperature. For the purposes of this investigation, flat deposits were made approximately 2 in. sq by 3/8 in. thick. From these deposits individual samples were cut an ground to a rectangular shape typically 1 1/2 in. by 1/8 in. sq such that the long dimension was perpendicular to the spraying direction. For the study of shrinkage anisotropy deposits up to one inch thick were produced. From these, rectangular samples were cut having a longer dimension parallel to the spraying axis. Prior to the addition of activating agent, the samples were deoxidized in hydrogen at 800°C for 20 min. No detectable dimensional or microstructural change was observed after this treatment. The addition of nickel was accomplished by infil-

Jan 1, 1963

By Jaeheon Lee, Junmo Ahn, Jiajia Wu

To reduce the environmental footprint of hydrometallurgical processing of black mass from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), a green leaching system based on glycine and sodium metabisulfite (Gly-SMS) was proposed. The leaching study demonstrated that the highest cobalt and lithium recoveries of 100 percent and 99.8 percent were achieved under optimal conditions. The leaching mechanism revealed that the dissolution of LiCoO2 in the Gly-SMS solution followed the shrinking core model. The apparent activation energies for cobalt and lithium were determined as 48.05 and 41.51 kJ/mol, respectively, indicating a surface chemical reaction controlling mechanism. The leachate was then processed by an acidification- precipitation technique with oxalic acid as the precipitant to remove cobalt. Glycine complexes with metal ions by zwitterionic ligand and recycles in the leaching-precipitation circuit, reducing the reagent cost. Compared to other studies, this leaching system has near-neutral operating conditions and is cost-effective, making it an economically viable alternative for treating cathode materials from spent LIBs.

Dec 1, 2024

Oct. 8-13, 1917 The St. Louis Meeting of the Institute will be held Oct. 8-13, 1.917. Various committees are being organized to perfect the arrangements for the meeting. A number of excellent technical papers have already been secured end an attractive series of excursions has been outlined. The following is the outline plan for the meeting. More detailed announcements will be made as the plans mature. MONDAY, OCT. 8 Morning: Registration and Technical Session. Afternoon: Boat ride to Herculaneum, Mo., to visit smelter. and Evening: Dinner on boat and social evening.

Jan 4, 1917

By Yoginder P. Chugh

The mining methods used at many opencast brown coal mines in Poland and the German Democratic Republic are not used in the US to any extent. Using bucketwheel excavators, bucket chain excavators, and mobile conveyor bridges, the mining techniques may offer efficient, economic alternatives for operators in the US. These mining methods were observed during visits to several open-cast brown coal mines in Eastern Europe over the past two years. Some of them may be particularly attractive for the large lignite mines being planned in North Dakota and Texas.

Jan 11, 1980

By W. Hermanson

This report presents the results of a task to complete a final design of a remote controlled hi-roof bolting machine for high roof areas in coal mines. The project was begun by visiting several coal mines to become familiar with roof fall areas. Several machine concepts were generated and presented to the design committee for criticism. A preliminary design was completed, as covered by this report. A Final Design and Final Report will be issued incorporating the committee comments at the Preliminary Design review and comments received concerning this Preliminary Design Report.

Jan 1, 1979

By Chris Howell

PotashCorp?s Aurora phosphate mine, in Beaufort County, NC, operates four low pressure boilers and four high pressure boilers to meet its process steam requirements. Maintaining these boilers is critical to meeting production demands. Processing phosphate ore into phosphoric acid requires large amounts of sulfuric acid and steam. Ore is mined from the phosphate deposit with large bucket excavators after 9 to 30 m (30 to 100 ft) of overburden is removed. The phosphate ore is mixed with water to make a slurry that is pumped to the mill. Elemental sulfur is burned in the presence of air to make sulfuric acid. This process is highly exothermic and boilers produce steam while cooling the process. The phosphate ore is reacted with sulfuric acid and the resulting products are refined into different grades of phosphoric acid for fertilizers, feed stock and food additives. Plant operators at the mine were challenged with boiler feed water that was high in silica and other contaminants. As a result, boiler operations were experiencing difficult, labor-intensive operations and equipment deterioration. This resulted in higher operating costs and diminished processing performance. The facility was operating an aged boiler feedwater pretreatment system that included warm lime softening followed by pressure filtration and a cation/anion/mixed bed demineralizer system. The demineralizer required frequent regeneration and chemical usage was high and costs were difficult to predict. Depressurized well water (DPW water), used for plant utility water and boiler makeup, is very high in silica, in the range of 60-70 ppm. Silica can form scale at pressures below 600 psig. Above 600 psig, silica starts to volatize, carrying over with steam to potentially form deposits on downstream equipment and processes. Mine officials decided to upgrade the boiler feedwater pretreatment system to a state-of-the-art reverse osmosis (RO) membrane system. This new system, which started up in March 2009, has improved operating performance and reduced water consumption and overall operating expenditures.

Jan 1, 2011