Search Documents

By Etienne Simode

When a fire breaks out in a mine access road, the hot smoke, due to heat transfer with the surrounding strata, progressively cools as it moves forward. Depending upon the resulting temperature distribution, the density of the fluid changes. This change will bring about: Firstly, a variation in the resistance of the roads, a static factor which will affect ventilation flow rates; Secondly, the appearance of extensive aerodynamic driving loads in the vertical and angled roads, a dynamic factor which can have an extensive impact on ventilation. Because of the appearance of combustion and distillation products, the vaporization of water, which wets the timbering and strata, and the expansion of gases, fluid rates can at times be increased tenfold in the area of the fire. These disturbances may cause explosions and ventilation inversions, which fill other working areas with smoke toxic to workers, and which can come up upon rescue teams from behind. Due to the progressive heating of the surrounding rocks, which will slow down heat transfer, these dangerous conditions change over time. At the Lorraine Basin Coal Mines, programs have been set up and employed for the computer simulation of these phenomena over time. They serve to anticipate or to understand such phenomena, the input data being the characteristic parameters of the mine ventilation network, the operating curve of the main fans, and measurements or estimates of some temperatures. Two programs, employed together, have been developed for these studies: One program, called RESO, calculates the distribution of flow rates and pressures throughout the entire network; The other, called FEUMIN, determines smoke temperatures over their entire path.

Jan 1, 1980

By Stephen J. Reynolds

Arizona's geologic history is complex, resulting in a diversity of rock types and earth materials, including those of commercial interest. Regional variations in geologic history gave rise to three geologic provinces and an inequitable distribution of both metallic and nonmetallic mineral wealth. The Colorado Plateau is largely composed of flat-lying Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks and late Cenozoic volcanic fields and sedimentary deposits. Associated resources include gypsum, halite, sylvite, clays, specialty sand, flagstone, volcanic products, and aggregate. The adjacent Transition Zone features a large expanse of Proterozoic rocks, economically important Devonian and Mississippian carbonate rocks, and Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary materials. Nonmetallic resources in this province include facing and dimension stone, aggregate, decomposed granite, chrysotile asbestos, gypsum, clay, barite, fluorspar, zeolites, and limestone used for lime, cement, and railroad ballast. The Basin and Range Province has the most complex geologic history and, therefore, the most diverse assemblage of industrial mineral occurrences. These include halite, gypsum, clay, aggregate, decomposed granite, diatomite, zeolites, perlite, pumice, kyanite, limestone, marble, stone, and others. In addition, young stream deposits yield vast quantities of sand and gravel, Arizona's most economically important nonmetallic mineral commodity.

Jan 1, 1987

By C. F. Meyer

The recirculation of mine air in an underground colliery, has always been regarded as a hazardous practice in South African collieries. The Mines and Works Act and Regulations states that fresh air, flowing Into an underground section, must flow out directly into the return airways after being utilized once in the section. One of the largest producing underground collieries in South Africa, Initiated a project on controlled recirculation with the permission of the South African Government Mining Engineer. The project involves the recirculation of 65 m3/s of air inside a ventilation district which serves a total of six production areas. The aim of the project was to increase the airflow to the sections without altering the existing ventilation system. Tracer gas studies were carried out to determine the actual distribution of the recirculated air to the individual areas. The results showed that an effective 54,18 m3/s of the recirculated 65 m3/s reaches the sections. This gives an air utilization figure of 83,4 per cent. Dust surveys were also carried out as part of the project to determine the effect of the recirculation of the return air on airborne dust levels. The results showed that the dust levels remained constant in the main intake and return airways and that no hazardous situation was being created. The project proved to be successful and showed that controlled recirculation can be executed and used as a solution for the supply of air to sections without endangering any lives.

Jan 1, 1993

By A. Zorychta, T. Cyrul, Z. Kleczek

INTRODUCTION Underground mining causes disturbances of the primary state of stresses. Resulting from those disturbances a loss of stability of rocks that surround excavation may occur interrupting the production and creating life danger for the personnel. One of the manifestations of such an instability is a rock burst phenomenon which mainly occurs at great depths. From the mechanical mint of view the rock burst is a loss of stability /Filcek et a1.,1984; Pietuchow and Linkow, 1976/ due to : - quasi-static stress changes in the surrounding rocks; we will call it s seam burst , - dynamic stress changes in the surrounding rocks caused by rock shocks ; we will call it roof burst. Possibility of the rock burst occurrence Is uniquely determined by the state of stresses existing in the rock mass. In the following sections of the paper we will consider different aspects of this question. Moreover distributions of displacements and failure criteria for a coal seam at longwall mining will be defined. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Determination of the vertical stresses and displacements resulting from longwail mining will be based on the Budryk’s idea of a stress wave /Salustowicz, 1955/. The idea originates from the analysis of a roof plate /beam/ resting on the deformable foundation /Sean/ and subjected to the cylindrical bending. Equation of the bending lice uniquely defines vertical stresses and displacements which are induced in the seam. The equation will account only the shear force effect. Elimination of the bending moment has been shown and discussed by Zorychta and Bcrecki /Zorychta, 1985; Borecki and

Jan 1, 1986

By E. Topuz, M. J. McPherson, I. M. Konduri

The research is carried out to investigate the flow mechanics and effectiveness of face ventilation using induction fans, as an effort to provide a more efficient alternative to conventional auxiliary duct or brattice ventilation systems. The induction effects and plume longevity of fluid jets are being studied with the help of a plexi-glass model, using water as the fluid medium and creating a system that is dynamically similar to the flow in mine headings. This scaled model represents a typical 1.5m x 6m x 25m heading connecting to a crosscut. Reynolds Number criteria are used to obtain dynamic similarity of the flow in the designed model to simulate real mining conditions. The role of various parameters such as nozzle position in three dimensions, airway roughness, nozzle geometry, and flow rate in the jet are studied. During the laboratory tests, flow visualization techniques, coupled with still and video photography, were employed to identify the flow patterns. The results indicate that in typical coal mine headings, jet fans can produce effective face ventilation for distance up to 30 meters.

Jan 1, 1995

By V. B. Achanti, A. W. Khair

This paper deals with the effects of various bit geometric parameters on the failure characteristics of rock material. Improving the rock-cutting efficiency of continuous mining machines has proven to be an interesting research topic during the last few decades. In the current study, an automated rotary rock-cutting simulator, duplicating a continuous miner, was used to study these parameters in the laboratory. The improvement of bit performance in terms of its life, cutting efficiency, dust production and energy consumption has drawn widespread attention. Research has demonstrated that optimizing bit parameters can result in efficient fragmentation of rock. Indiana limestone rock material was used in this study. The bit tip angle, bit tip size, bit spacing, depth of cut and cutting velocity of the rotary drum were varied to investigate the failure characteristics. The cutting pressure, penetrating pressure and the depth of cut were monitored on the simulator during the cutting process. Airborne dust and settled dust were measured for each experiment. Then, the specific airborne dust and specific energy were determined for each type of bit. Triaxial tests were carried out to correlate the failure angle of the rock in the static case to the dynamic cutting process failure. The physical and mechanical properties of the rock were also determined to assess their influence on the wear characteristics of each bit.

Jan 1, 2000

By Drupad B. Desai, C. C. Ku

INTRODUCTION The Laurens Street section of the Northwest Line of the Baltimore Region Rapid Transit System, located along Pennsylvania Avenue between Pitcher Street and North Avenue is situated in material which cannot be definitely categorized as soil or rock. However, in the area of residual soils in which these tunnels were constructed, considerable attention was required to determine the character of the ground so that the designers and the constructors could properly evaluate the behavior of the ground and plan their respective efforts accordingly. The Laurens Street sections structures consist of twin rock tunnels, station structure, traction power substation, vent shafts at both ends of the station, the midline vent shaft, and the twin mixed-face tunnels. This paper concentrates on the mixed-face tunnels which extend from Station 99+67.03 (O.B.) to Station 102+49.00 (O.B.) at the southern end of the section. Since the completion of the design of this project, the Laurens Street section has been renamed the Upton Station. (See Figures 1 and 2). SUBSURFACE INVESTIGATIONS At early stages, three preliminary studies were performed by the General Soils Consultant (Ref. 1, 2, & 3). The purpose of the first study was to ascertain the generalized geological and subsurface conditions which might be encountered in the region. No borings were performed for this study. A limited number of test borings were performed for the second study, which included subsurface data for the Northwest and South Lines of the Transit System. Three borings were

Jan 1, 1981

By A. E. Reisenauer, R. W. Nelson, G. W. Gee

A model assessment was made to evaluate contaminant transport to ground water from clay-lined and unlined tailings pits. The input hydrologic soil characteristics were measured on materials typical of those found at the Morton Ranch uranium mill site in central Wyoming. The assessment involved combined saturated and partially saturated flow and contaminant transport models for two-dimensional cross-sections typical of the proposed Morton Ranch burial pits. Specifically obtained from the models were contaminant flow paths, the advancing contaminant flow fronts for sorbed and non-sorbed constituents, and travel times of contaminants along flow paths. Such results enable evaluation of the environmental consequences for the alternative control methods.

Jan 1, 1980

By Allan E. Hall

The use of full face boring machines in underground mining has increased considerably in recent years and over 200 raise-boring machines are now in use in the Western World. Several tunnel-boring machines have been tested notably in America, West Germany, Britain and South Africa. A relatively new concept is the blindhole borer, where the machine stands on the lower level and bores a full diameter raise upwards without the use of a pilot hole. Four of these machines have been tested to date in South African quartzites with varying degrees of success. The development of boring technology has created new problems for ventilation engineers and exacerbated several existing ones. This challenge has been met in many varying ways and this paper attempts to provide a review of the current state of the art. Technology and methods are developing at great speed in this field and therefore no final and absolute solutions can be proposed, since each machine and site pose individual problems which are best handled by local knowledge and experience.

Jan 1, 1980

By David Loomis

Unlike previous gold mining booms in Nevada's Great Basin, the current boom includes a serious commitment to mine reclamation. Many of the smaller mines began reclaiming in the late 1980s but met with limited success due in part to poor soil characteristics. Public land managers and the mining industry began looking for ways to improve reclamation success. One promising technique is suggested by an ongoing research project using sludge biosolids, the solid residue of municipal waste water treatment. During the 1980s, limited space in landfills led municipal governments to search for alternate ways to dispose of their biosolids. The cities of Reno and Sparks, NR and the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) searched for ways to combine these needs to everyone's mutual benefit. Yet barriers remained. The federal government had major concerns about potential bioaccumulation of metals and contamination of drinking water from the land application of municipal biosolids. The barriers were lifted late in 1991 when an interagency task force led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a new federal policy on the use of biosolids on federal land. The policy encouraged biosolids as a soil amendment to reclaim degraded minelands and invited federal agencies to develop biosolid pilot projects. In response, BLM enlisted the help of American Resources Corp. (ARC) and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for a pilot study at ARC'S' Butcher Boy Mine near Wadsworth, NR. Although biosolids have been used in mine land reclamation in the eastern United States for 20 years, before this pilot study, none had been used on public lands in the arid Great Basin. Land application of biosolids improves soil conditions by improving nutrient uptake, increasing water retention, permitting easier root penetration and enhancing soil fertility. Biosolids increase ecosystem productivity and can lead to significant improvements in the structure and diversity of plant and animal communities. Thus, land application of biosolids promotes biodiversity.

Jan 1, 1993

By Kerby Glass, Glenn A. Gruber

Mr. C. A. Hollingsworth introduced commercial column flotation to the Florida Phosphate Industry in 1976, with a six feet diameter prototype cell at the Tenoroc Mine. More than two-dozen column cells have been installed in phosphate beneficiation plants since then. The increased interest in column cells for phosphate flotation, and their potential use in new plant construction, prompted the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research to fund programs to investigate various aspects of column flotation. This report describes a test program, conducted by JACOBS at CF Industries Hardee Complex II, as part of a comprehensive research program awarded to the University of Florida by the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research. The 1.5 feet diameter test column was operated with plant process water and plant reagentized flotation feed. Several variables considered for column cells design and operation were tested. Feed specific capacity, air superficial velocity, and the length to diameter ratio of the column were the variables that influenced phosphate recovery. Concentrate phosphate grade was influenced by concentrate superficial velocity and feed specific capacity.

Jan 1, 2002

By Steven J. Schafrik, Michael Karmis, Zacharias Agioutantis

3-D or pseudo 3-D visualization of orebodies and mining related processes such as loading and tramming, are now commonly used by the mining industry. An approach is presented that can aid the engineer in creating the visualizations necessary for accurate presentations for use in public relations, safety training, production projections, reclamation plans, etc. It is shown that the creation of such digital representations of mining environments are independent of the mining package used to create the original mine design. Once a proper model has been created, any view of the areas is possible. These views can be taken from any number of stationary points or entered into an animation showing the progress of a mining construction. The paper focuses on the presentation of the steps used to accomplish the visualization and an example is for a quarry fill placement project.

Jan 1, 2002

By T. Yalcin

It is well recognized that machine type and machine characteristics play vital roles in the successful application of froth flotation in mineral processing. Since the early 1900s, a multitude of machine designs have been and are still being introduced in an attempt to improve flotation efficiency. Machines based on mechanical agitation have been the most dominant in industrial practice. However, in recent years there has been a growing interest in pneumatic flotation units because of their claimed simplicity, low cost, high throughput and good metallurgical performance. This work was carried out to assess the effectiveness of pneumatic flotation on a magnetite ore. The method was applied using a prototype pneumatic flotation device that utilized a suitable nozzle for bubble generation. Important variables of the process were examined and optimized, including the nozzle size, air flow rate and froth thickness. Further tests were conducted to determine the influence of frother dosage and to explore the improvements that could be made on concentrate grade and recovery by cleaning and scavenging. Under the best test conditions, an iron concentrate was obtained with a grade of 66.4% Fe and a recovery of 97.7%. Particularly, the recovery was superior in comparison to that of mechanical flotation. This was attributed to the ability of pneumatic flotation to create and maintain a relatively thick froth layer.

Jan 1, 2002

By David M. Mchaina, Michel Grenier, Stephen G. Hardcastle

An airborne dust survey was conducted at the Arthur W. White mine of Dickenson Mines Limited by CANMET/MRL and Dickenson Mines Limited Staff in April 1990 for the purpose of evaluating environmental conditions underground and in the surface mining plants. The survey was designed to measure respirable silica, total arsenic and lead concentrations at several workplaces. In addition, settled dust and rock samples were collected from workplaces and analysed for total arsenic content. More importantly, arsenic exposure data were needed to evaluate the impact of Ontario Regulation 176/86 as amended by Ontario Regulation 23/87. A total of 165 area and personal air filter samples were collected during the study. Of these, 85, 67 and 13 samples were for arsenic, silica and lead respectively. Sampling aid analyses were performed according to the Ontario Ministry of Labour Regulations. More than 90% of the workplaces sampled for respirable silica, total arsenic and lead were below the Ontario Ministry of Labour Regulations; and 10% of the workplaces sampled for arsenic shaved concentrations above the Threshold Limit value (TLV) proposed in the Ontario Regulation 176/86 as amended by Ontario Regulation 23/87. These results were used to identify occupations and/or workplaces where more sampling and control measures were required respirable silica, total arsenic and lead. This paper describes the results of the dust sampling program conducted at Dickenson Mines Limited.

Jan 1, 1991

By Gary F. Rajala, Bruce R. Greenwood

INTRODUCTION The Empire Mine is an iron ore mining, concentrating and pelletizing facility operated by The Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Owners of the mine are Inland Steel, LTV Steel, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel and Cleveland-Cliff s. The orebody is a fine-grained, low grade iron formation with magnetite as the primary constituent. Also present are iron carbonates, iron silicates, chert, hematite, goethite and quartz. The original six concentrating lines were started in late 1963. Successive expansions of ten lines in 1967, five lines in 1974 and 3 lines in 1979 have resulted in Empire reaching a present annual capacity of 8.0 million long tons of pellets. The Empire flowsheet was developed over several years of laboratory bench testing, pilot plant testing and testing of a full-scale primary autogenous grinding circuit. Since the original flowsheet was established, modifications have been made based on pilot plant and full-scale plant tests. The present flowsheet for three sections of the concentrator consists of one stage of crushing, two stages of closed circuit autogenous grinding, two stages of magnetic separation, one stage of hydraulic concentration and two stages of flotation (rougher and scavenger). The flowsheet for the fourth section of the concentrator (Empire 4) is the same as the first three sections, except a crusher has been added to crush excess pebbles. The Empire 4 flowsheet appears in the at- tached figure. PRIMARY GRINDING CIRCUIT FLOWSHEET Empire has a total of 24 individual grinding lines. However, at the present time, Line 1 is not being used for processing crude ore. The primary mill on Line 1 is now grinding flux stone for fluxed pellet production and the secondary mill is being used as a ball mill to grind rougher flotation tailings prior to a scavenger flotation circuit.

Jan 1, 1992

By Dougal R. McCreath

The storage of energy in one form or another is a well established practice, demonstrated by the familiar sight of large oil storage steel tanks. Today, however, the problems of energy storage are taking on a new complexion. Increased emphasis on large and sometimes untried forms of energy storage is being generated by: (1) The uncertainties we face concerning future oil and gas supplies. (2) The growing need for the storage of peak-shaving energy on large utility systems. (3) The growing volume of highly toxic and energy generating wastes resulting from nuclear power plants. Concurrent with the growth of these pressures, legitimate environmental concerns now demand that the methods of storage which are utilized meet adequate criteria of safety and preservation of surface land, as well as fulfilling technical and economic functions. From these elements, increasing awareness has grown of the potential role that can be played by underground space in providing a storage medium for energy related materials. The vessels which must be built for underground energy storage will be built by the tunnel engineer, and the design requirements of such vessels will go far beyond the classical tunneling requirement to drive a stable, reasonably dry tunnel between two points. Depending on the nature of the material to be stored, the manner in which the storage is to be operated, and the specific risks to the environment which are involved, rock chambers must be designed as special purpose storage vessels. The tunnel engineer may be required to demonstrate that unusual pressure and temperature conditions can be sustained by the rock, or that containment of a toxic material can be assured. In certain cases there will be emphasis on

Jan 1, 1976

By John R. Thalimer

For the past four years the U.S. Bureau of Mines has investigated the early detection of insulation failure in squirrel cage induction motors. Data modeling techniques based on values calculated from a motor's voltage and current phasors were used to produce a pair of polynomial equations that calculate a motor's insulation leakage current and power. This paper describes a prototype system using these models that monitors six motors on a continuous miner for insulation leakage in order to anticipate insulation failure. The system consists of a motor-data system for each motor on the machine, a control computer located some ' distance from the miner, and a serial bus to interconnect these items. Each motor-data system consists of an analog interface to the motor's voltages and currents, a single-board computer that reads digitized data and calculates voltage and current phasors, and a bus node that interfaces the single-board computer with the serial bus. The control computer can request and receive phasor data from any motor-data system on the bus. Using models developed at the Bureau, the control computer calculates and displays two deterioration values for each motor, one for leakage current and the other for leakage power. These values are then stored into a database from which the user can display them over time.

Jan 1, 1992

By A. G. Mayton, L. Adler

The paper under discussion provides an excellent and concise study of compartment ergonomics for thin seam equipment. However, in accomplishing this, some very important operational aspects were ignored. Since these are likely to be determinant, the authors' response is solicited. The novel shuttle car with its cross-car, end-mounted compartment is operationally very different from the current one. The latter can be considered a highly mobile extension of the continuous miner or loader, with a pass-through conveyor, dump boom, and extra storage. As such, the vehicle's kinematics are the simple "I," or shuttle pattern, bent for going around pillars, with an intermediate stop at the "change-out point" (Adler, 1986 ). The action of the cable reel adjusts well to this pattern. The proposed shuttle car's motion either superimposes a "Y," time is lost (5 seconds) for each cycle, space is needed, line of sight is compromised, and a cable anchor is probably required at the dump. A chute is almost prohibitive in construction time and cost. The lack of a dump boom further curtails flexibility in the proposal. The value of a standard hand and opposite standard hand configuration also needs consideration. Many front-end loaders have a rocker (overshot) capability that is designed to achieve an "I” pattern. And crawler loaders sometimes use a side dumping bucket variant for the same purpose. These examples indicate the pattern's importance. For underground, thin seam application, the ram car has become popular. This is an articulated truck, battery-powered, and with an ejector dump. Its operational patterns would be similar to the novel shuttle car, except without the loading flexibility provided by a conveyor. Since the cab location of the proposed shuttle car largely obviates some of the major advantages of the present shuttle car, the question arises whether this configuration could be adapted to the current ram car and scoop

Jan 1, 1991

By Robert D. Talvensaari

It is indeed an honor for White Pine, as a member of the copper mining industry, to participate in this Rapid Excavation Conference. Although our presentation, as the title indicates, is not a success story, we foresee, through our experience, future application of boring machines and rapid excavation equipment in the hard rock mining industry. One might ask what a copper mining company would be doing with boring machines and why the gamble on a high-cost, capital investment for a relatively untried application. Perhaps a little background on the White Pine mine and its geology will explain our daring and speculative motives. THE WHITE PINE MINE The White Pine Copper Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Copper Range Company, operates a mine, mill and smelter at White Pine, Michigan in the western Upper Peninsula approximately 6 miles due south of Lake Superior. We employ approximately 3,000 people from the surrounding area and mine approximately 25,500 tons of low grade (1%) copper ore per day. The orebody is contained within several distinct sedimentary horizons that comprise the lower 20 feet of a Precambrian formation known as the Nonesuch Shale. Numerous articles and reports have described many aspects of the White Pine operation and the geology. I will brief you only on that criteria which precipitated our interest in rapid excavation equipment and techniques, specifically, boring machines. Mineralogical and optical studies have demonstrated that the siltstones, sandstone and shale beds all contain relatively barren and discrete particles of quartz (25%), feldspar and mica, bonded with

Jan 1, 1974

By Murat Budakoglu

Albite (NaA1Si308) is one of the important raw materials for the rapidly developing Turkish ceramic and glass industry. Prior to 1980, development of the ceramic industry in terms of raw material was dependent upon small-scale mining operations; in the last decade, these efforts have increased substantially. The aim of this study is to investigate the geochemical properties and distribution of albite occurrences in the Kocayayla district, which is about 12 km northeast of the town of Milas, about 50 km west of the city of Mugla in southwestern Anatolia. Kocayayla is also well known for its famous ancient city, Labranda. The field area is located in the Menderes Massif, which was formed by major tectonic events during the Late Proterozoic and subsequent periods. The target area was studied to prepare a detailed geological map (scale, 1:10,000), and to determine the formation of albite-mica-schist-quartzite borders in the host rock gneiss. To do this, systematic sampling of albite was done in the two main areas, the Sarikaya and Yumruta? regions. In the study area, albite zones are scattered within an area of about 20 km2, and they extend in a northeast-southwest direction; mica-schists and quartzite veins accompany these units. Mineralogical observations show that quartz is the main mineral associated with albite. In the ceramic industry, the albite + quartz assemblage is well known and is classified as "standard" or "super type," depending upon the content of TiO2 and Fe203. In this study, the Sarikaya albites (profile I) exhibit remarkably lower TiO2 (0.15% on the average) values contrasted to that of Yumruta? (profile 11; 0.24% on the average), whereas Fe203 values vary slightly from 0.076% to 0.085% in both regions.

Jan 1, 1999