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ABSTRACT Inco’s Iron Ore Recovery Plant was operated by Inco from 1955 to 1980 near Sudbury, Ontario. As exposures to specific nickel substances have been associated with adverse respiratory endpoints it is important to understand processes giving rise to such substances. This manuscript discusses the process and equipment, the propensity for aerosol formation, and operational procedures used by Inco in roasting a pyrrhotite concentrate, reducing the nickel in the formed oxide, leaching the nickel in ammoniacal solution, purifying the resulting solution, making green or black NiO, and producing iron oxide pellets. Industrial hygiene measurements are also reported.

Jan 1, 2013

By Linghu Changjin

Based on the characteristics of typical marine sedimentary phosphate rock in Guizhou, Southwest China, together with the research findings made on the surface electric properties of pure collophanites taken from different areas in pure water and under the action of collectors, a pure minerals flotation test of collophanite was conducted in this research. The differences of collophanite flotation behavior and the effects of the different pH values, varieties, and dosage of collector on flotation separation of collophanite were studied. It is suggested that that in pure water, collophanite had a negative charge within a wide pH range. The electro negativity values of collophanite increased with the addition of collectors GJBW and WF-01. When GJBW and WF-01 were used as collectors, the collophanite was depressed in acid medium, but had a good flotability in basic medium.

Sep 1, 2012

By Peter Price

Introduction The Horne mine, the property of Noranda Mines, Limited, has in the last six years become one of Canada's leading gold and copper producers. Since the smelter was blown-in during December, 1927, up to the end of 1933, it has produced approximately 1,200,000 oz. of gold and 35O,OOO,OOO lb. of copper. The property is situated within an area occupied entirely by pre-Cambrian rocks and characterized by the complexity of rock types and structures common in such terrain. But apart from this the mine also presents other features of unusual interest in the size, number, and variety of the ore-bodies, the mineralogical associations, and the rather exceptional values both in gold and copper. It is not surprising, therefore, that a study of the geology of the mine should bring to light many interesting problems. The present paper summarizes, as concisely as possible, the results of such a study. Actually, it is a much abridged version of a more comprehensive and detailed paper completed by the writer a year ago (1), but embodying certain corrections and additional data made possible as a result of further development at the mine and of field work carried out during the summer of 1933. Owing to limitations of space, the paper is, in the main, a presentation of conclusions arrived at in the course of the study. Much of the supporting evidence cited in the thesis referred to has, of necessity, been omitted here.

Jan 1, 1934

By A. Kalogeropoulos, T. Michalakopoulos

The DEM has been used in several studies to numerically simulate the response of rocks to the cutting action with drag tools. In this research, the aim is to realistically simulate the rock material and the cutting process by controlling the grain interlocking of the numerical assembly and streamlining the calibration process while focusing on the cutting force and the failure mechanism.

Apr 1, 2023

By J. B. Boisvert, O. Leuangthong, T. Acorn

Optimizing final pit limits for stochastic models provides access to geologic and economic uncertainty in the pit-optimization stages of a mining project. This paper presents an approach for optimizing final pit limits concurrently over all realizations in a stochastic model and using a risk-management framework to manage the geologic and economic uncertainty. A heuristic pit optimizer is used to find multiple uncertainty-rated pit shells. These uncertainty-rated pit shells follow the mean-variance criterion to approximate the efficient frontier for final pit limits. Stochastic dominance rules are then used in a risk-management framework to further eliminate suboptimal solutions along the efficient frontier. This results in a smaller set of final pit shells that can be further analyzed for production scheduling. Additionally, the original solutions are analyzed for changes in the mining limits, and two regions are targeted as potential regions for further exploration.

By T. BACHMANN, G. SHAPLAND, E. Amini, N. BEATON, M. BECERRA

Process plant modeling in the computer environment has been developed over the past 40 years by implementing the comminution models formed by the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, University of Queensland, in the early 1970s. The models for the other processes in a mine value chain, such as blast fragmentation and flotation, were continuously developed and improved in parallel as well. Other research and commercial entities have also developed process modeling methodologies in the computer environment, which evolved as specialized commercial software or through equations set up in Excel spreadsheets. These were performed on a local computer, in thousands of simulations over a long period of time due to hardware limitations and the lack of a fully automated process. This limits the application of detailed process simulations for scale-up and strategic planning analysis, as they require many simulations to cover all possible scenarios which would take a lifetime when using local computers. The Integrated Extraction Simulator (IES), as the next generation of cloud-based software package, has made it possible to run simulations on the entire operation value chain in the same platform, including drilling and blasting, crushing, grinding, flotation, and other downstream process and material-handling units. This capability has allowed IES to handle multivariable simulations across the mine value chain, including pre-concentration and in-pit size reduction, and modify the process simultaneously.

By Yong Pan, SRIVATSAN JAYARAMAN SRIDHARAN, Purushotham Tukkaraja

The block cave mining method poses unique ventilation challenges compared to other underground metal mining methods. This research study focuses on assessing the airflow behavior in regulated airflow distribution systems by developing a 1:100 scaled block cave experimental model and a numerical model. This study also investigated gas flow behavior under various airflow conditions. Based on our findings, we observed that reduction in particle size and porosity of caved materials, decrease in cave footprint, and closure of undercut drifts would increase cave airflow resistance. The increased airflow is found to be beneficial for gas dilution regardless of its source locations, while the regulated airflow distribution system might deteriorate the gas dilution situation when the source is located in the extraction drifts.

Sep 1, 2022

By William Gleason

"While the American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA) was preparing to close one chapter and begin another during its annual conference in Spokane, WA Dec. 3-7, word of a significant victory on an issue that has been important to the association for many years came from the halls of Washington, D.C.During a keynote address on Dec. 6, Joe Balash, assistant secretary of Land and Minerals Management for the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), told a sold-out lunch crowd that the DOI had released final drafts of proposed revisions to the Obama-era greater sage grouse conservation plans. The revisions suggest removing hundreds of thousands of acres of federally protected habitat in Utah, and easing restrictions on energy development and other activities, including mining, in Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming.The protections of the sage grouse were put in place by the Obama administration in 2015. The sage grouse, a prairie fowl, is considered by conservationists to be a key indicator species for the health of America’s sagebrush ecosystem. The previous plan to protect the ground-dwelling bird imposed restrictions to development in sage grouse habitat, but did not place the birds on the endangered species list — a move that many believed would have imposed far more rigid rules.AEMA, and its executive director Laura Skaer, led the way in the fight against the Obama-era greater sage grouse plan, arguing that the plan unnecessarily hurt economic development.“We were the first organization to point out that the greater sage grouse was being used to stop mining, oil and gas production and grazing on public lands in the interior mountain west,” said Skaer who is retiring from AEMA with a significant legal win on this front. “Early on, we cautioned that the proposed Land Use Plan Amendments would be worse than a listing (of the sage grouse) under the Endangered Species Act. Very few believed us until they saw the plans with all of the restrictions and the recommendation for a 4-million-ha (10-million-acre) withdrawal from mineral entry. We were the only organization that filed comments on all 88 Land Use Plan Amendments in 11 states covering more than 24.2 million ha (60 million acres).”"

Feb 1, 2019

By Luis Torres Yupanqui

Dado que en el diseño de labores mineras subterráneas y superficiales se considera la caracterización del macizo rocoso a través del levantamiento litológico estructural (modelo geológico), el presente texto busca describir la cantidad de valores relacionados con la durabilidad de la roca, contrastando de acuerdo a la clasificación Geomecánica de Bieniawski el valor de la meteorización, determinando la calidad del macizo rocoso.

Dec 1, 2015

Macraes Mining Company Limited operates a 2.1 million tonnes per annum gold processing plant at Macraes Flat, Otago. This uses a conventional CIL route to treat oxide ore, and a flotation, grind, CIL route for sulfide ore. This paper describes the design and operation of this process plant.

Jan 1, 1992

By Bill Stormes

This paper will discuss implementation of the Hilti OneStep rock anchor technology to improve face bolting operations during the May 2008 longwall move; increase rock anchor installation capacity; and improve safety by reducing employee exposure periods by utilizing the Hilti OneStep rock anchors.

Jan 1, 2008

By Harry Verakis

Flyrock is the second leading cause of all blasting related injuries in surface coal, metal and nonmetal mining operations. It is also a primary cause of property damage, monetary losses and “near misses.” For the period 1978 to 2008 flyrock accounted for 11.6 percent of all blasting-related injuries in surface coal, metal, and nonmetal mines. A large amount of published material has been published on the safety hazard of flyrock, on ways to predict how far rock will travel from a blast, as well as ways to protect mine personnel and neighbors from flyrock. However, flyrock incidents continue to occur resulting in fatalities and “near misses” that could have caused fatalities. It was only good fortune in some instances that no one was in the mine's parking lot or other unprotected area when flyrock rained down or in harm’s way when a large rock punched a hole in the roof of a building or other structure.

Jan 1, 2011

By W. G. Schultz

"Sylvite's potash mine, which produces 8,000 tons of ore per day, probably ranks as one of the most highly mechanized and automated mining operations in the world. Employing, on a normal 10-hour production shift, one supervisor and a crew of seven operators, Sylvite is able to mine at an average rate in excess of 600 tons per hour. The ore is produced by two Marietta miners weighing 258 tons, the largest and heaviest pieces of equipment ever taken underground. The ore produced by these two Marietta miners is conveyed to the shaft area, cycled through a 15,000-ton storage system and hoisted to surface completely automatically. The operation of all equipment in the mine can be monitored and controlled from a central control panel located underground. Because Sylvite's mine is a new operation with equipment of a new design, the full potential of the operation has not yet been realized. The ultimate capability is clearly evident from the success Sylvite has had over the past year as the average mining capability has risen from 100 tons per hour to 600 tons per hour."

Jan 1, 1973

By Yang Song, Li Shaokang, Wang Zhiqiang, Wang Jinjun, Li Guofeng, Su Meixuan

The paper investigates the triboelectric charging properties of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles under different conditions using a cyclone tribocharger. It explores the effects of airflow velocity, tribocharge material, and particle moving distance on the charge-to-mass ratio of CaCO3 particles. The study aims to provide guidance for the design of triboelectric separation systems for magnesite.

Sep 1, 2023

By Aarón Morales

El autor de este artículo postula y desarrolla 12 principios, como códigos básicos que deben marcar la ruta de todo comportamiento empresarial. Su cuidado y mantenimiento constituye una de las principales responsabilidades de la alta dirección, requieren ser entendidos por todos en todos los niveles y no están sujetos a negociación, pues constituyen el sustento mismo de la empresa.

Aug 30, 2020

By G. Thodos, R. B. Grieves

A method has been developed for the accurate calculation of the cricondentberm and cricondenbar temperatures of multicomponent hydrocarbon mixtures of known composition. The mixtures may contain any number of components including paraffins and isoparaffins, olefins, acetylenes, naphthenes and aromatics. This approach is based upon the mole fraction of the low-boiling component in the mixture and graphically presents the ratios of the cricondentherm and cricondenbar temperatures to the pseudocritical temperature as {unctions of a boiling-point parameter. The only requirements are the critical temperature, normal boiling point and the approximate vapor pressure behavior of each component. For mixtures of more than two constituents a stepwise calculation procedure is necessary where the pseudocritical temperature is based upon the critical temperature of the pure low-boiling component and upon the actual cricondentherm or cricondenbar temperature of the mixture of all the remaining higher-boiling components. From an analysis of 22 binary systems (123 compositionsl, the average deviation of calculated cricondentherm temperatures from reported values is 0.87 per cent, based on degrees Rankine; and for 10 multicomponent mixtures containing from three to six components, the average deviation is 0.98 per cent. From an analysis of 18 binary systems (104 compositions) the average deviation of calculated cricondenbar temperatures from reported values is 0. 79 per cent; and for 15 multicomponent mixtures, 1.47 per cent. Equations, derived from the graphical relationships, are presented which enable rapid calculations for both binary and multicomponent systems. INTRODUCTION With the increasing tendency towards the use of high pressure processes, the need for an accurate method of calculation of the properties of a multicomponent hydrocarbon mixture in the critical region is becoming more essential. Critical region phase relations are also significant in gas condensate reservoirs, for which a knowledge of the fluid phase boundaries and regions of retrograde condensation make it possible to evaluate optimum operating conditions. The possibility of liquefaction in the underground structure may be established, and information on the feasibility of the use of repressurizing may be determined. A typical phase diagram for a multicomponent hydrocarbon mixture is presented as Fig. 1. This figure also shows the regions of retrograde behavior encountered by following lines AB and AC. If accurate methods of calculating the temperatures and pressures at the critical, cricondentherm (maximum temperature) and cricondenbar (maximum pressure) points of multicomponent hydrocarbon mixtures of known composition were available, it would be possible to estimate closely the entire phase diagram of any mixture. Several methods have been presented in the literature for the estimation of the critical temperatures and pressures of multicomponent mixtures containing all types of hydrocarbons and including the fixed gases.4-8,21 Considering the cricondentherm and cricondenbar points, the work is more limited. Etter and Kay5 have developed rather complex equations for

By Flanelson Maciel Monteiro, Marcondes Mendes de Souza, Mauro Froes Meyer

This research is based on a bibliographical review of a field work that was done in the municipality of Parelhas / RN. The area explored, in turn, is known for its richness of mineral resources that are present in pegmatitic rocks. The general objective of this research is to characterize the main properties of the pegmatites and quartzite, in order to verify the heterogeneity of the elements, to raise a possible viability of extraction for economic purposes. The quartzite also presents a siliceous chemical composition. This rock is a source of bricks and silica refractories used in the steel industry and for the preparation of the blast furnace bed, ornamental rock used in different ways (rustic, carved, polished, among others). However, this research resulted in preliminary data, but it would be interesting to be more detailed in order to evaluate the economic viability of these rocks.

Oct 3, 2019

By Du Sichen, K. Mukai, S. Seetharaman

Viscosities of slags constitute an important physical property needed for an understanding of the mass transfer phenomena in metallurgical processes. Viscosity is also the key that leads to a better understanding of the structure of slags. It is well known that the viscosities of silicate slags decrease with the addition of basic oxides due to the breaking of the silicate network. The measurements of slag viscosities often pose experimental challenges, especially to the choice of materials. The keynote lecture takes up the experimental problems and the various techniques adopted. Dynamic viscosity measurement, as a powerful tool towards an understanding of the kinetics of some high temperature reactions, is brought out. A number of semi-empirical models have been developed to estimate the slag viscosities in the case of multi component slags. A critical survey of these models is presented in the lecture. Earlier models by Riboud et al., Urbain et al. and Mills et al. have been developed further into a new generation of models. Some of the current important models are (1) Model by Iida et al. (2)CSIRO model (3) Pyro research Model (4) Model by Tanaka et al. (5) Model approach by Reddy et al. and (6) KTH-model. The predictions and capabilities of the various models are compared. Estimations of viscosities from thermodynamic data and prediction of liquidus temperatures from viscosities are presented. The concept of surface viscosities with reference to slags and viscosities of two-phase mixtures are also taken up in the presentation.

Jan 1, 2004

By T. L. Joseph

The size and accessibility of the Minnesota manganiferous iron ore deposits make them attractive as a potential source of ferromanganese, which is essential in the production of steel. For several years the Bureau of Mines has been conducting experiments to determine the feasibility of producing ferromanganese from these ores by a three-step process which involves (1) the smelting of the ores in the blast furnace to produce a high-phosphorus spiegel; (2) the treatment of the spiegel produced from step 1 in an electric or open-hearth furnace to separate the manganese from the phosphorus and the iron; and 3) the smelting of the high-manganese slag from step 2 to produce ferromanganese. The details of the first two steps of the process and the results of tests with the experimental furnaces have been given in previous reports.

Jan 1, 1931

By BERND SCHÖNHERR, JÖRG DEHNERT, PETER WINDISCH, JENS STOPP

The Quick-Erect Stopping System (QESS) offers a new way of reducing the radon exposure of miners in Germany, especially during remediation work in old mines. The QESS is a lightweight, modular and reusable construction kit of interlocking telescopic aluminum tubes, radon-proof foil and expanding foam. It is designed to seal off radon-rich parts of galleries within minutes. Originally, the QESS was developed to protect miners against radon exposure. Then, the QESS found the attention of several mine rescue teams at a German mining conference. Some mine rescue drills by The Student Mine Rescue of the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Wismut Mine Rescue and Front Range Mine Rescue helped to improve the system and highlighted its potential for mine rescue operations. Now, the QESS is well-suited for small-scale mining. The QESS can be used to both protect miners from radon exposure and to support mine rescue operations. Moreover, the QESS was also successfully used in ventilation experiments.