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By Ammar Henchiri, Godfrey McDonald

"Breakwater Tunisia S.A.’s Bougrine mine is located in a semi-arid region of Tunisia characterized with Triassic salt domes. Due to extensive agricultural land-use in the mine area, a zero-discharge tailings facility design and high water recycling rates to the concentrator were chosen to minimize the environmental impact to the surrounding area. The process water supply has an accumulation of naturally occurring salts due to high evaporation rates and the need to recycle 70% of the process water. The elevated salt content of the process water had an adverse effect on the efficiency of the flotation reagents, which led to the production of lower quality zinc concentrate.The impact of the water salinity on the zinc concentrate quality was documented by extensive laboratory testing. A feasibility study was prepared and a decision was made to install a reverse osmosis plant for desalination of the process water. A plant was constructed during 2000 which currently supplies up to 85 m3/hr of de-mineralized water, equal to approximately 45% of the total process water requirement. The salinity of the process water decreased from about ten to twelve grams per litre before installation to less than three grams per litre. Together with minor modifications to the concentrator circuit, Breakwater Tunisia has increased the zinc concentrate grade from 50% zinc to 55% zinc without compromising the zinc recovery rate of approximately 84%.This paper discusses the successful installation of a reverse osmosis desalination plant that allowed Breakwater Tunisia to improve the grade of the Bougrine mine zinc concentrate and thus increase the net smelter return.INTRODUCTIONBreakwater Resources Ltd., through a wholly owned subsidiary, Breakwater Tunisia S.A., acquired the Bougrine underground mine and related assets in September 1997. During the winter of 1997/1998, the company rehabilitated the mining equipment, modified the concentrator circuit, developed a new mine ventilation system and prepared a new mining production program. The mine was reopened on May 2, 1998 and was in commercial production as of June 1, 1998."

Jan 1, 2003

By W. Lum

In the U.S., flexible metal pipe culverts are designed by ring compression theory because the pipes are capable of deflecting and deriving side support from surrounding ground. For economy, tunnel liners are often designed as flexible structures that depend on the lateral pressure of the surrounding ground to maintain stability. In this paper, simple formulas are presented to determine the maximum deflection a concrete tunnel liner may assume and the ring compressive strength of the deflected liner. A tunnel can then be constructed to work within these limits. Similar techniques may be used to design concrete pipes.

Jan 1, 2010

By H. Antrekowitsch

Nowadays, the pyrometallurgical treatment in copper smelters is the common process for the recycling of metals from the electronic scrap. Furthermore the European Directive on the Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Directive on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), increase the importance of electronic scrap recycling. Besides these a high amount of plastic and inert components in these materials leads to problems at the processing. An optimisation concerning the internal recovery and the high amount of plastic is necessary to reach the recycling quota of the European directive. The majority of the scrap is treated mechanically in order to separate in a first step plastics from metals, iron from nonferrous metals and harmful substances from valuable materials. But the quality of the different fraction often rather low and further treatment leads to higher costs. Therefore an interaction between mechanical treatment and metallurgical processing should be realised. The Christian Doppler Laboratory for Secondary Metallurgy of Nonferrous Metals at the Institute of Nonferrous Metallurgy at the University of Leoben carried out investigations concerning the optimisation of the metallurgical recycling and the treatment of the input materials especially of printed circuit boards.

Jan 1, 2006

By P. L. Crouse, S. J. Lubbe, M. J. Kabangu

A selective extraction and separation of zirconium by solvent extraction with 1-octanol is proposed. The process is based on the dissolution of the metal basic carbonates in hydrochloric acid in the presence of potassium fluoride, using 1-octanol as extractant. The effect of several process parameters, including hydrochloric acid and potassium fluoride concentrations, reaction time, and phase ratio between the aqueous and the organic phase was investigated. Zirconium is enriched in the organic phase. The best extraction and separation results were obtained with the basic carbonate dissolved in 10% hydrochloric acid and 1.5 M potassium fluoride. The optimum reaction time was 15 min with an organic to aqueous phase ratio of 2:1. Based on the selectivity of zirconium over hafnium in the organic phase, a McCabe-Thiele diagram was constructed. A near complete stripping of zirconium from the organic phase was achieved using a 3 M sulphuric acid solution. Additional studies are required in order to determine the reaction mechanism and the chemical speciation of the current investigation.

By Jerry D. Pfarr, Gary Loving, David G. McDowall

Introduction The Open Cut is one of the best known landmarks in South Dakota's Black Hills. It is the site of the original discovery of the Homestake ledge, or lead, in 1876. Between that time and 1945, the Open Cut produced about 36 Mt (40 million st) of gold ore, the majority of which was drawn from underground operations. In 1981, a drilling program was undertaken to determine how much ore the old timers left behind. The results of this study indicated an ore body made up of broken and caved ground, and solid blocks in pillars and crowns. Reserves are estimated at about 6.8 Mt (7.5 million st) of gold ore, grading at 4 g/t (0.116 oz per st). Total tonnage of material, including waste, is estimated at more than 60 Mt (66 million st). The mining plan is a combination open pit and underground operations. The bottom 78 m (255 ft) will be mined by the underground panel-caving method. The open pit was designed as a contractor operation up to the expected milling stage or the point of sustained ore production. The pit was designed to avoid disturbance of US Highway 85 near Lead, SD. In 1983, the South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment approved the mining and reclamation plan. Test mining began in the north of the Open Cut using open pit methods. Upon completion of the test pit, Homestake Mining's board of directors approved an expanded mine plan. They committed an additional $27.1 million to prestrip the ore body that is expected to yield 23 t (750,000 oz) of gold. Project life is estimated at 15 years. Exploration program In early 1980, 10 diamond drill holes were drilled from the surface in the vicinity of the east side of the Open Cut. The reserves delineated by that drilling were too small to justify their development. A continuation of this study attempted to quantify the tonnage remaining in the bottom of the Open Cut in the crushed remnants of old stope-and-crown pillars. This was originally thought to be minable by improved drawhole methods using highly mechanized procedures. By early 1981, however, thinking turned toward surface mining methods. The effort to quantify minable ore tonnage ultimately involved drilling 385 reverse-circulation rotary drill holes. These were drilled from August 1981 to March 1983 in several groups of holes. Each group, or drilling program, had a slightly different immediate goal or purpose. The holes were drilled to various depths using truck-mounted Drill Tech 40 drills with doublewalled 76 mm (3 in.) pipe with 134 mm (5.25 in.) three-cone rotary bits. Initially, wet drilling was employed using a cyclone collection system. Since cutting recovery was not as high as it should have been, all subsequent drilling was dry. The cuttings were collected and deposited by way of a cyclone into the sample bag. The pickup for the cuttings using the three-cone bits was about 50 mm (2 in.) above the bottom of the hole. Overall cutting recovery for the drilling program was estimated at 75%. Samples were taken on each 1.5 m (5 ft) of hole drilled. Each sample was split into three 48-g (1-2/3 assay ton) charges. The accepted value was the straight average of the three charges. Because of the known "nugget effect," assays were nearly impossible to duplicate. Therefore, to validate the regular assays, a series of screen fire assays were run. Based on this method of assays and checks, it was concluded that 10% more ounces would be produced than indicated by mine grade. Test pit The northernmost portion of the mine as planned is known as the Terraville test pit. This portion was mined ahead of the rest and separately. It provided answers to questions on slope stability, reserves correlation, mill recoveries, mining costs, and surface mining conditions in various weather and ground conditions since many boulders and much timber were expected. The mining plan for this portion of the pit was successful. More ore was mined than was expected. Mixing of Open Cut ore with underground ore in the mill feed was successful. Impact on the surrounding communities

Jan 10, 1987

By David Norval

Water solidification of mattes, metals, alloys and certain slags with high metal entrainment has customarily not been practiced due to the belief that such processes are too dangerous and unproven in the Pyrometallurgical Industry. Slag granulation on the other hand is extensively applied, although in some cases crudely, with disastrous effects, as a result of not recognising the high heat capacities prevalent in slags. This paper will examine the most common air solidification processes and compare such processes with water solidification, mainly slag and matte granulation processes and design criteria for safe and reliable operation. Finally, purpose designed granulation and solidification processes will be discussed taking into account specific applications and the individual signatures of alloys and slags, emphasising that no slag, matte or alloy responds in similar fashion to a granulation practice.

Jan 1, 2006

By Sheridan J. Rodgers

Toxic fumes generated during shot firing were measured in a phosphate rock mine and a copper mine. Fumes generated during firing of explosives in the Bureau of Mines 1350 ft3 test chamber were measured also. The release of fumes from water gels, ammonium-nitrate oil mixtures and nitroglycerin based explosives was studied. Direct reading instruments were used to monitor the fume concentrations. The amount of CO produced per unit weight of nitroglycerin explosives (0.41 ft3/200 grams) was higher than that produced by ammoniumnitrate-oil mixtures (0.24 ft3/200 grams) and water gels (0.16 ft3/200 grams). The amount of NOx produced by nitroglycerin based explosives was also higher than the amount produced by water gels or ammonium nitrate-oil mixtures.

Jan 1, 1976

By Rudy Tenbergen, Dick Farmery, Jim Naylor

"Paste backfill has replaced cemented rock fill as one of the components to improve ground · control and mine safety at the Macassa Operation of Kinross Gold Corporation in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. It is the first operation to utilize "" flash thickening ""of very fine gold tailings to a paste consistency in the ""Paste Production and Storage Mechanism"", a joint technical development of Inco and GL&V. The tailings paste is mixed with alluvial sand to produce an engineered quality paste backfill. The development leading up to the decision to proceed with this novel technology is discussed, as well as commissioning of the backfill operation.IntroductionThe occurrence of a major rockburst on November 23, 1993 prompted a review of mining and backfill procedures at the Macassa No 3 shaft . This shaft is some 7238 ft deep and lies in a mining belt that is prone to seismic events. The recommendations were to change the mining from underhand cut and fill to mechanized long hole stopping and to look at alternatives to the rockfill backfill system in place. The Macassa cemented rock backfill operation, while producing the desired fill stiffness had drawbacks as compared to paste fill. With paste fill, placement rates are faster, more openings can be filled, it is less expensive and less prone to the occurrences of compensable incidents.Macassa mining personnel visited the Sudbury operations of Inco in 1993, where development on paste backfill was in progress. As some of the R&D was taking place with funding from the Premier's Council Technology Fund of the Ministry of Trade and Technology of the Province of Ontario , Inco personnel at that time did some feasibility and conceptual consulting on the use of paste fill for the industry. Inco had developed the use of alluvial sand paste fill, an engineered blend of alluvial sand and tailings fines and was doing development work to eliminate the ""conventional"" way of producing paste from mill tailing by thickening and filtration. This latter development work was taking place with GL&V Ontario. That work led to the filing of a joint Inca/ GL&V patent application for the PPSM, the Paste Production and Storage Mechanism with all marketing rights being held by GL&V."

Jan 1, 1997

By R. Amelunxen

"The molybdenite associated with copper porphyry ores is generally treated in a flotation circuit consisting of a separation and a cleaning section. In the last few years column flotation cells have replaced the numerous counter-current stages that were previously used in the cleaning section. Despite this, little has been published regarding the number of column cleaning stages required. Therefore a Moly flotation database is assembled with the objective of verifying the existence of a common upgrading profile. This can then be used as a guide in the prediction of the number of stages required to achieve a given concentrate grade.INTRODUCTIONAlthough the first use of Column Flotation was on copper flotation products, the popularity and understanding of their operation was not really achieved until they were widely implemented in Moly circuits in early 1983. The use of columns in Moly plants has since left a legacy of information, both published and unpublished. The data collected since that time has been used primarily used to establish column operating parameters and to determine upgrading potential within the circuit.Byproduct Moly generally occurs with porphyritic copper ores in concentrations less than 0.1% MoS2. As such, piloting a new moly ore to produce, say 5 Kg/Hr MoS2, in a slurry approximately 1 Lt/min (at 10% solids), requires a moly plant feed of about 570 Kg/Hr, which translates to a mill feed rate of 200 to 800 Tonnes per day (depending whether you deal with Chilean or Canadian ores). Piloting Moly for any lower tonnage would reduce the accuracy of the testwork.Thus a need exists to collect operating data in order to establish the existence of process relationships that could be used for feasibility and design purposes.The object of this paper is to expose a preliminary relationship that could be used for the purposes described above and to apply the findings to a preliminary design of a moly cleaning circuit flowsheet."

Jan 1, 1990

By D. Dimitriadis, T. Polglase, W. Phillips, R. Jenny, M. Botz

Cyanidation processes for the extraction of gold or silver frequently involve the processing of sulfur-containing solids which react with cyanide to form thiocyanate. The formation of thiocyanate is an undesired side-reaction, and in many cases thiocyanate formation results in a prohibitively high cyanide consumption. With the increasing number of gold and silver mining projects which involve the processing of sulfide ores or concentrates or which utilize a biological sulfur oxidation process, more attention has been focused on minimizing thiocyanate formation and in treating solutions to eliminate toxicity associated with thiocyanate. Though not yet commercially applied, there are several technologies available to recover cyanide from thiocyanate to both reduce tailings toxicity and allow the reuse of cyanide otherwise lost to thiocyanate formation. This paper presents an overview of technologies available for recovering cyanide from thiocyanate along with estimated operating costs for the technologies. Pilot testing data suggests that in some cases, cyanide can be recovered from thiocyanate for approximately the same cost as newly purchased cyanide.

Jan 1, 2000

By Han Xuanjiang

Through whole analysis of static testing piles information of a teaching building, this paper put for ward that when the ratioes of unload rebound amount to residual deformation and to total settlement reach the maximum, the testing load is selected as allowable capacity of single pile by camparing with the settlement in the practical engineering, it is proved that this method fits to practice, for other several projects, its also available. Therefore non-destructive testing pile method was improved, so all the tested piles can be reused as engineering piles.

Jan 1, 1991

By P. Koh

A novel approach incorporating computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and flotation modelling has been used for investigating flotation cell designs. CFD modelling has increasingly been employed to enhance understanding of the cell hydrodynamics in mineral and coal flotation. Opportunities for improving the flotation cell performance can be identify by modelling. The CFD-flotation model from CSIRO incorporates cell hydrodynamics that affect particle-bubble interactions. Information from the model includes velocities, turbulent dissipation rates, gas hold-up, particle-bubble attachment and detachment rates. The attachment and detachment rates have been found to be effective measures of cell performance for cell design.

Jan 1, 2011

By M. Makarchian

Existing buildings sometimes experience excessive settlement under their design loads, or due to increased foundation loading, if a change of building use is required. One of the oldest and widely numerical study has been carried out of a simple idealised problem of an underpinned rigid circular foundation to better understand the behaviour of pile used for underpinning and load transfer mechanism from an existing foundation to the underpinning piles. The finite element method has been used for this analysis, with the soil treated as a two-phase elasto-plastic material. It is found that the effect of the length of the pile becomes more significant as pile length increases. As would be expected, the earlier the pile is installed, the less is the final settlement.

Jan 1, 1996

By Jose A. Delgadillo

The hydrocyclone problem has been a challenging task for the last 30 years. In the 80’s and 90’s Computational Fluid Dynamics solution to this problem began to appear. These were unsuccessful due to over simplification. In the past 3 dimensional solution with ?-e model and Reynolds Stress Model have been published. In this paper RSM and ?-e models are compared with velocity profiles measured in 75 mm and 250 mm diameter hydrocyclones. It is shown that results are not satisfactory with RSM or ?-e and that a model called Large Eddy Simulation is needed to describe velocity profile evolution and size classification.

Jan 1, 2005

By Marvin V. Damm, Lloyd C. Venburg, Dan Sokol

Analytical and computer models are used to evaluate information obtained from existing data and investigation programs so mine water control systems can be designed and developed. These models allow the geohydrologist to predict the amount of groundwater inflow and the impact of dewatering and stream diversion on the hydrologic regime, and to determine the schedule and equipment needed for mine dewatering. This article describes uses of the model and the essential components necessary to construct an effective and practical one. Hydrologic models are constructed to determine the extent that mining activities will affect the ground water and surface water hydrologic regime. These models range from basic analytical, mathematical models to the more sophisticated finite difference and finite element groundwater models. Many factors determine the degree of sophistication, including the mining stage, the complexity of the hydrologic regime, the mining process, and regulatory requirements. Model Uses The geohydrologist and engineer construct models so the entire ground and surface water handling and supply system can be integrated and optimized. These models can provide the following data: • Information for water balance studies-the entire hydrologic regime for the area, including precipitation, transpiration, evaporation, infiltration, runoff, and the effect of geologic features. • Data on seepage rates during mining. • Information to design the depressurization and dewatering system, including water well spacing, location of sumping systems, need for grout curtains, and possible horizontal drain and underdrain locations. • Data needed to schedule dewatering and mining operations. • Prediction of initial and long-term impacts of mining and dewatering, including local and areal drawdowns, effects on existing wells, and modifications to the surface-subsurface hydrologic regime. Potentiometric surface maps and hydrographs can be prepared from these data. • Prediction of the effect of discharge from the water control system on the surface hydrology and data input to design systems for water discharge, storage, recharge, or reinjection. The results of a computer study that illustrates the effect of dewatering and reinjection into an aquifer to confine the cone of depression are shown on the accompanying figure. • Information to forecast potentiometric surface recovery after mining ceases. The accompanying figure shows the pumping and reinjection rates in a program that is adequate to dewater a mine and permit the recovery of potentiometric levels to approximate premining levels after mining ceases. • Documentation and design information for monitoring systems to be installed during all mining phases. • Water quality predictions and geochemical changes, including the possibility of brackish or saline water intrusion because of extensive dewatering or depressurization operations. • Documentation and data for acquiring permits from regulatory agencies. Model Input Program For any model to be effective, detailed hydrologic and geologic data must be gathered from a review of existing information and from an investigative program. These data should cover entire model limits. Data updating, revising, and refining should occur as new information is received from the investigation and monitoring programs, and from the mining operation as it progresses through the pre-mining, mining, post-mining, and reclamation

Jan 8, 1982

By James Anstey

BHP Billiton?s Cannington facility is a mining and minerals processing plant near Mt. Isa in Central Queensland, Australia, producing silver, lead and zinc. Mine ore is processed in a concentrator, which consists of grinding, flotation, thickening and filtration. Grinding is carried out in a fully autogenous (AG) mill. The mill operates in closed circuit with a pebble crusher. Throughput is approximately 380 tph. Cyclone overflow from the grinding circuit is fed into a flotation circuit for the recovery of lead, zinc and silver. Two concentrates are produced (lead and zinc), which are then thickened and filtered. The filtered concentrate is transported by road to a rail receiving station. From here the concentrate is railed to port in Townsville for shipment to the smelter. Matrikon and Engineers at BHP Billiton?s Cannington Mine have used ProcessACT to develop a flexible, nonlinear dynamic simulator for the grinding circuit to further enhance process understanding, as well to investigate various optimization strategies. An online charge volume estimator was also developed for the AG mill to aid in the understanding of overload conditions, which for the previous two months had been the primary contributor to downtime. The models were developed using a combination of first-principles modeling along with input-output dynamic responses. Examples of models used include: Morrell ?C? model for power and charge shoulder/toe angle prediction; Whiten?s mixing model for breakage and hold-up; Nageswararao cyclone model for predicting cut size; slurry recovery and water recovery. The composite model simulates system dynamics starting from the stockpile reclaim system and finishing at the feed for the flotation process. The objective was to provide a tool that assisted Cannington in understanding their Grinding Circuit and allowed them to develop and evaluate circuit optimization strategies. BHP Billiton Cannington Mine is now considering development of a Grinding Circuit Optimizer utilizing the models developed for the simulator.

Apr 1, 2005

By Patterson J. H

An infra-red absorption study has been made of crocidolite, country rock. and associated host rocks from Wittenoom Gorge. The spectrum of the country rock is appreciably different from those of crocidolite and the magnetite-rich host rocks which are closely similar. A process to separate crocidolite-bearing ore from country rock based on infra-red emission is therefore possible in theory.

Jan 1, 1966

By S. Yalcin, S. Chang, M. Oliazadeh

"Present day ferrochrome demand is on the rise, as more steel products require this material as an alloying element. It is projected that the stainless steel demands will grow by about 6% per year to 2020; as such, the supply and demand for ferrochrome appears promising. Chromite is the only economical source of chromium, which is commonly upgraded by gravity techniques and used to produce ferrochrome. The gravity separation methods are not able to treat particles finer than 0.1 mm efficiently. Therefore, in processing chromite ore, a large quantity of fine tailings; some 25% of the mineral values have been reported as lost in slimes during processing. The chromite content of these tailings is typically 10-20% Cr2O3 and accumulates into a large stockpile/pond. A chromite concentrator project in Canada, considers a cut-off grade of 20% Cr2O3. This indicates further processing might be required to recover chromite from low-grade stockpile when the high-grade deposits are depleted. Low-grade ores normally indicates disseminated chromite ores with low liberation and consequently fine comminution. This paper reviews the techniques for treating chromite from fine material and provides some examples of successful operations in fine chromite recovery. Beneficiation techniques for fine particles include gravity separation, magnetic separation, and flotation. Several case studies are presented here that used one of the aforementioned methods or a combination of them.INTRODUCTIONChromium is one of the essential element and important material for production of ferrochrome alloys and special steel. Chromium occurs as chromium spinel, a complex mineral with chemical composition of (Fe, Mg) O (Cr, Al, Fe)2 . Chromite ore is exclusively found in ultramafic igneous rocks. Major associated gangue minerals are talc, quartz, serpentine and iron oxides.Chromite is a heavy mineral, with a specific gravity in the range of 4-5, relative to associated gangue minerals in a chromite ore, which makes gravity concentration a suitable process. This is generally true for coarse particles, ranging from 1 mm to 100 mm. Typically, the ore is prepared by crushing (and grinding if necessary) to a suitable size and the material is sized for the appropriate beneficiation techniques. It is common to use heavy medium separation (e.g. dense media drums, dense media cyclones, or Dyna Whirlpool) to treat coarse size and intermediate size particles (1 – 100 mm). Intermediate and fine particles (20 – 0.1 mm) could be treated by jigs. Spirals, shaking table, sluices, and Reichert cones can upgrade fine particles. Figure 1 shows a typical chromite beneficiation process flowsheet. As can be seen, it consists of three major sections: feed preparation (crushing, screening), de-sliming, and concentration. Beneficiation recoveries range from 80 to 85%, although the ratio of upgrading is only 2 to 3."

Jan 1, 2013

By K. Sørli, H. Elstad, I. M. Skaar, A. Hildal

Generally, monitoring of refractory furnace linings is of interest to the metallurgical industry. The main issues are to control wear of the furnace lining and break out of molten metal. Penetration of molten metal through the lining can cause considerable damage to equipment in the vicinity of the furnace and endanger operators. Rebuilding of a furnace lining is expensive, mainly because it stops production, but also because the lining materials are expensive. Here, two methods for monitoring the lining of a smelting furnace are presented. The methods are based on monitoring of the temperature distribution in the lining, more specific monitoring an isotherm in the lining. One method is based on the assumption of unidirectional heat flow locally, reducing the problem to a set of one-dimensional heat conduction problems. The other method is based on inverse heat conduction. In this context inverse heat conduction means estimating the wear from temperature measurements using mathematical optimization techniques. The study is based on the ilmenite smelting furnace at Tinfos Titan & Iron KS. Some results from real temperature measurements and real observations from the ilmenite smelting furnaces is presented.

Jan 1, 2003

By Alan G. MacKinnon

Loads and stresses from pile driving are increasing from heavier piles and more powerful hammers. Stresses can be dangerous to equipment stability. Equipment developer MacKinnon tells how to compute stresses for all positions of the crane boom and angles of pile batter. From a paper presented at the DFI-University of Hawaii Seminar, April 1985.

Jan 1, 1986