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By Frank E. Chase

Clay veins, also referred to as clay elastic dikes, have been responsible for numerous underground injuries and fatalities. These hazardous structures are also responsible for increased production costs during all phases of mining. For these reasons, the Bureau of Nines has investigated the physical characteristics of and roof instability problems associated with clay veins in order to make support and other mining recommendations. In addition the occurrence and origins of clay veins were examined to determine whether or not the structures could be projected into unmined portions of the coalbed. This investigation included portions of the Arkoma, Illinois, Northern Appalachian, Southern Appalachian, and Uarrior Coal Basins. Virtually a11 clay veins observed or documented occurred in the Illinois and Northern Appalachian Basins. Observed clay veins ranged in sire from 1 inch to 16 feet In cross-section and were found under shale, siltstone, sandstone, and limestone roof rock. Individual clay veins were predominantly composed of claystone; however, limestone. siltstone. and sandstone infilled clay veins do occur. Clay vein formation has been associated with the infilling of fissures which result from compressive, tensile, or shear ground failures. These gaping fissures were propagated by compactional processes and/or tectonic stresses active during and subsequent to coal iff cation. Associated fault, fracture, and slickenside planes commonly parallel clay veins and disrupt the lateral continuity of the immediate and, sometimes, main roof. When clay veins parallel or subparallel the direction of face advance the roof is segmented into cantilever beams causing unstable conditions. Therefore, the strata on either side of the clay vein must be bolted and strapped together to form a beam.

Jan 1, 1984

IN concentrating mills, where several millerals are recovered for realisation in more than one product, various systems are used to express the relative economic value of the work done, and, in the hope that it may prove of use to other operators, the writer will describe a system which, in his opinion, is more complete than any other that he has seen published.The controlling factor in all mill work must be based on the economic result represented by the greatest margin possible between the realizable value of the products and the cost of obtaining same.From a mill-man's point of view these are affected by the following factors:1. Metal contents of ore.2. Grade of products.3. Recoveries.4. Working costs.The grade of ore milled is usually outside the mill-man's control, but this may exercise a considerable influence on the grade of his products, metal recoveries, and revenue per ton of ore. Higher grades or recoveries may be obtained by using a more expensive process, or by additional grinding or reagents, and the economic comparison can only be arrived at by obtaining an analysis showing the monetary value of each variation within the possible limits.In the system to be described, the value of unit variations of metal contents of the ore, grade of products and recoveries are calculated in terms of a monetary unit per ton of ore with the returning charges ruling, and any suitable metal prices. To do this it is necessary to assume what, for convenience, is termed a "standard" set of results from the mill, preferably representing about average conditions, and having calculated the effect of unit...

Jan 1, 1931

By I. J. Barker

Keywords: Submerged-arc furnace, plasma furnace, d.c. furnace, scale up, Søderberg electrodes, smart grid, demand side management, load shedding This paper argues that the scale up of furnaces and the supply of electricity are going to be two major issues that will affect the ferro-alloy industry in the near future, and that economic factors will drive this development. The most common type of furnace for producing ferro-alloys at present is the submerged-arc furnace with three electrodes, fed from a three-phase a.c. electrical supply. The scale up of this technology has now reached a fundamental constraint, which is caused by the electrical reactance of the secondary circuit. If the economy of any further scale up is to be achieved in the future then a different technology will have to be used. The supply of electrical power in future is likely to become a more complex issue than it is at present. Existing submerged-arc furnaces tend to run at fairly steady loads, but the ability to swing the load under demand-side management may offer advantages, and may allow a furnace to get cheaper power from the organisations that supply this power. This will have to be counterbalanced against the nuisance factors incurred by having a varying load in the operation of the furnace. Various options are therefore discussed in this paper. The possibility of scale up of Søderberg electrodes is discussed, as well as the use of d.c. power and multiple electrodes. Some of the issues with load swinging are also examined. A particular scenario is also briefly presented to show that considerable further scale up of ferro-alloy furnaces is still possible.

Jan 1, 2011

The objectives of this paper are to introduce the International Code of Practice for Risk Management of Tunnel Works and to illustrate to the participants of the 13th Australian Tunnelling Conference 2008 how the insurance industry would like to see the future of tunnelling insurance. Tunnel construction projects have suffered large losses over the years as can be shown from various loss examples and a list of major losses over the last ten to 15 years. Since the consequences of insufficient risk control had to be borne by insurers, these losses have heightened the need for improved and adequate risk management measures so that insurance cover can also in future be provided for this hazardous industry sector. Observations are made as regards to the prevailing trends in the tunnelling industry, which contribute to the increase in risk and have adverse consequences for the insurance industry. To find a solution to this dilemma various options are examined with the suggestion of a Joint Code of Practice for Tunnel Works being agreed by all stakeholders, which would become essential to secure future insurance protection for such project work. The British Tunnelling Society has, in cooperation with the Association of British Insurers, developed such a code, which the International Tunnelling Insurance Group has now adopted for global application in international markets. The content and concept of this code is explained to establish a framework of understanding and applied risk management principles for tunnel works. This initiative also has the support of the International Tunnelling Association and the International Association of Engineering Insurers. The international application of this new code is demonstrated with a few examples, which also includes Australian projects. It is the aim that this code forms in future part of the insurance coverage for tunnelling works in order to put this risk segment on a more sustainable basis. For that reason the insurance industry is seeking the support of all stakeholders of tunnelling construction projects.

Jan 1, 2008

By M Davies, G Theletsane, A H. Gray

Recovery of gold from gold ores has been driven by the available technology and its configuration in the process plant flow sheet.Conventional practice in test work programs has the ore being ground fine (to 106 or 75 microns) to ensure liberation ahead of leaching or flotation. This paper identifies that, in many cases, gold and gold sulfide carriers will liberate and be recovered to a concentrate at much coarser sizes.There is an exponential increase in energy consumption relative to particle size reduction. This impact becomes extreme when comparing crushing a product to 1 mm against grinding to 75?microns.The resultant reduction in energy consumption when liberating and separating at 1 mm or coarser compared to grinding to 75 microns can be in the order of 15 kWh/t or 60 per cent of energy in the comminution circuit.Recovery of free gold and gold sulfide carriers by preconcentration (using continuous gravity devices such as the InLine Pressure Jig), combined with flotation of the fine gold and gold carriers, can result in significant power savings.There are multiple locations within the flow sheet that can be targeted using this process, including recovery in the cyclone underflow of existing plants, preconcentration ahead of the plant or complete greenfield, low-energy process plants designed from first principles based on data from a Gekko developed test work regime.We will describe the process of defining mineralogy in the laboratory and the decision-making process through to actual applications in the field.Several examples will be provided, including a South African Witwatersrand gold ore, several Australian gold ores and others, indicating the benefits of this process and where it has been brought to commercial reality.CITATION:Gray, A H, Davies, M and Theletsane, G, 2014. Coarse liberation and recovery of free gold and gold sulfide carriers for energy reduction in process plants, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 117–128 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

The importance of timbering, not only from a financial point of view but from an actual mining point of view, is so often overlooked or slightly glossed over by the average expert and investor, that I have thought it would prove interesting to go into the matter and to invite discussion upon the subject. We will first take small veins, or reefs as they are termed in some mining countries; and by small veins it is intended to denote fissures from a few inches to three feet. The ore body is supposed to be confined within well defined walls free from gangue matter, unless the casing can be defined as such. Now, if the walls are smooth and moderately hard, no timbering is required other than the stulls, which are braced from wall to wall in order to form platforms or stages to stope from. Should the reef from wall to wall prove payable, or should the vein be of a character to prohibit cleaning or sorting; and it be determined to send the whole of the stone to the, reduction works, the stuUs should be left in place until the section or block of ground is worked out, in order that if a weak spot in the walls (especially the hanging) occur, it would be possible, without any particularly extra expense or difficulty often times accompanied by danger to brace and secure the slabs. After the block became entirely stoped, it would pay where labour was cheap to remove the majority of timbers to stull another section.

Jan 1, 1901

An oxide ore heap (80,000 ton assaying 2 per cent copper) and a sulphide ore heap (300,000 ton assaying 1·7 per cent copper) are being leached in series in a closed circuit system. The ore is friable and weatherseasily giving severe percolation problems. These were eased by applying liquors at 235 gal/min to trenches 2 ft wide and 6 ft deep along the full length of the heaps.Cementation recovery was improved from 20 per cent to over 80 per cent by regular intermittent agitation of the iron using a back hoe unit.Liquor pH is controlled by acid addition, and iron content is controlled by a bleed-off set according to predictions made from a pH-Eh diagram drawn for the liquor components. These controls, together with acyclic wetting and draining procedure, have raised production from 6 ton/week to 10 tdn/week of 80 per cent copper.

Jan 1, 1968

By Robert E. Fosse

Driven 14-inch-square concrete piles were used as the foundations of Genentech Hall at the new University of California, San Francisco Mission Bay Campus. The five-story, steel eccentrically-braced frame building is currently under construction at a 43-acre property located in a former large shallow marshy inlet from San Francisco Bay. The piles were driven through 10 to 25 feet of fill and 20 to 60 feet of soft compressible Bay Mud into an underlying dense sand layer. Pile design capacities were developed for traditional allowable stress design, load factor and resistance design, and ultimate design criteria. The ultimate level capacities were for checks of loads occurring when the links in the eccentrically-braced frame yield during an earthquake. A load test program was performed to confirm pile design recommendations. Two test pile locations were selected for compression, tension, and lateral load tests to evaluate pile capacity and pile/soil stiffness under long-term, short-term and rapid loading conditions. Maximum test loads were 1000 kips downward, 350 kips uplift and 50 kips lateral. Foundation construction began by driving 34 indicator piles with a Delmag D46-32 diesel hammer of 113 foot-kips maximum rated energy. All indicator piles were monitored during initial driving using the Pile Driving Analyzer. Restrike data, obtained several days after initial driving, indicated significant pile-soil setup and typical pile capacity increases from 750 to 1000 kips. The majority of the 1242 production piles were then driven to acceptance criteria of 75 blows per foot and a minimum embedment of 10 feet into the dense sand bearing layer. Piles driven to full length without achieving the blowcount criteria were evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Acceptance of these piles was established by evaluating restrike data.

Jan 1, 2002

By David Preece

The Thirlmere aqueduct was constructed over 110 years ago to provide water from the Lake District (in the north-west of England) to the city of Manchester some 60 miles (100 km) away. The aqueduct remains, to this day, a key piece of infrastructure in the distribution of raw water in the north-west of England. A short section of the aqueduct was identified as being in poor condition during routine inspections by the owner. Subsequent investigations attributed the conduit damage to the movement of unstable ground over the conduit. Bachy Soletanche Ltd was subsequently appointed to carry out the design and construction of the slope stabilisation works and to undertake repairs inside the damaged conduit. The works were undertaken on an existing slope which, in places stands at a gradient of up to 40º to the horizontal. Strict limitations on plant and equipment were imposed by the client (United Utilities) to ensure that slope and conduit loading and associated vibrations were kept to an absolute minimum during construction. An intensive instrumentation system was installed to monitor surface movements, ground movements at depth, conduit movement and strains across existing planes of weaknesses within the conduit. The solution comprised the installation of spaced piles up-slope and down-slope of the conduit. Restrictions were imposed on the minimum stand-off distance between the outside face of the conduit and the piling works so targeted permeation grouting was undertaken to improve the ?connection? between the conduit and the down-slope piles. The presence of existing sub conduit groundwater flows was suspected and the permeation grouting was focused in areas to minimize disruption to the groundwater regime. The paper presents the basis of the design and highlights the combined construction and instrumentation methods adopted to minimise damage to this valuable asset.

Jan 1, 2011

By C. A. Snyders

This paper investigates the recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) from a dilute cyanide leach solution containing base metals, in a manner similar to that used for gold extraction in a typical CIP process, and focuses on both the adsorption and elution stages. The carrier-phase extraction of precious metals using activated carbon offers significant advantages over other processes in terms of simplicity, the high pre-concentration factor, rapid phase separation, and relatively low capital and operating costs. As a sorbent, activated carbon is still by far the most important material because of its large surface area, high adsorption capacity, porous structure, negligible environmental toxicity, low cost, and high purity standards. Adsorption tests were performed on a pregnant alkaline leach solution (0.15 ppm Pt, 0.38 ppm Pd, 0.1 ppm Au) resulting from cyanide extraction performed in column leach tests. The initial adsorption rates of platinum, palladium, and gold were very fast and recoveries of these three metals were approximately 90 per cent after 2 hours and 100 per cent, 97.4 per cent, and 99.9 per cent respectively after 72 hours. The parameters that influence the extraction of PGMs and Au were examined to assess their relative importance during the adsorption process in order to provide the basis for process optimization. The concentration of thiocyanate was not identified as significant factor for PGMs adsorption, while nickel concentration was the most significant extraction process parameter. Base metal cyanide complexes adsorb and compete with the PGM complexes for sites on activated carbon, and while copper adsorption can be minimized by adjusting the residence time, nickel adsorbs at approximately the same rate as that of the PGMs, influencing the loading capacity and adsorption kinetics of the PGMs. The feasibility of eluting platinum and palladium cyanide complexes from activated carbon using an analogue of the AARL process was investigated. Platinum and palladium elute from activated carbon almost to completion in 4 to 5 bed volumes at 80°C, while the elution of gold at this temperature is slow, with a significant amount of gold still to be eluted after 16 bed volumes. Cyanide pre-treatment was found to have a significant influence on PGM elution. Higher cyanide concentration in the pre-treatment step results in more efficient elution up to a point, and experiments suggest the possibility of an optimum cyanide concentration, beyond which elution efficiency starts decreasing.

Jan 1, 2012

By Thomas G. Goonan

Copper production through smelting generates large volumes of material flows. As copper contained in ore becomes copper contained in concentrate to be fed into the smelting process, it leaves behind an altered landscape, sometimes mine waste, and always mill tailings. Copper concentrate, fluxing materials, fuels, oxygen, recyclables, scrap and water are in-puts to the process. Dust (recycled),gases — containing carbon dioxide(CO2) (dissipated) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) (mostly collected, transformed and sold) and slag (discarded or sold) — are among the significant process outputs. This article reports estimates of the flows of these input/output materials for a particular set of smelters studied in some countries. They include Chile (Altonorte, Caletones, Chagres, Chuquicamata, LasVentanas and Potrerillos), Japan(Naoshima, Onahama, Saganoseki,Tamano and Toyo), the United States(Garfield — Fig. 1 — Miami and Hayden) and Europe (Glogow I, Glogow II, Huelva, Norddeutscheand Ronnskar).

Jan 1, 2005

The roasting of sulphide ores and concentrates is often the first step in the production of metals or chemicals. In many processes, the production of sulphuric acid is viewed as a by-product, whereas in some plants production is an important economic factor. Regardless of the purpose, a pyrite roasting plant consists of mainly three plant sections: roasting, gas cleaning and sulphuric acid. With the addition of air, the pyrite concentrates are transformed into solid oxides and gaseous sulphur dioxide at temperatures of 600?1000°C. After cleaning and cooling, the sulphur dioxide in the roasting gas is further processed to sulphuric acid. Two types of reactors are used depending on the application: stationary or circulating fluid bed. For over 60 years, Outotec has progressively been developing the principle of fluidized bed technology in several different reactor types for a multitude of process applications. The versatility of the fluidized bed reactor system has manifested itself in the treatment of minerals, including solid fuels, and for metallurgical processes both in the ferrous and non-ferrous fields. Process applications have included roasting, calcining, combustion and charring of coals, as well as off-gas treatment. This paper provides a summary of the pyrite roasting technology currently used along with a simple cost comparison of pyrite roasting and sulphur burning processes.

Jan 1, 2009

By W. G. Pariseau

Face and pillar bursts, bumps and bounces are violent failures that occur in underground coal mines in response to a complicated interplay of face and pillar geometry, seam depth, coal strength and moduli and interactions between roof, seam and floor strata. Additional complications arise from the presence of gas, mainly methane, and associated pressure and flow that vary with time and are further influenced by the rate of face advance. Numerical models provide a means of quantitatively accounting for the various complications of mining geometry, the stratigraphic column, mechanical properties, gas flow properties and associated interactions. A fully coupled hydromechanical finiteelement code, utAH4, serves the purpose well and allows study of the important interaction between stress concentration and gas pressure in determining safety and stability of the face during the advance of a longwall panel in a deep underground coal mine in central Utah. Face advance is relatively fast compared with gas flow and depressurization in coal seams of low gas permeability. Consequently, gas pressure is high at the face. When a longwall is stationary, depressurization occurs at the face, so effective stress and strength increase. thus, when gas flow at the face is high and requires a pause in face advance to bring gas concentration to an acceptable level, a second benefit occurs because of timely depressurization. However, quantitative analysis of a deep coal mine shows that regardless of gas pressure, high stress concentration is more likely to pose a threat to face and pillar wall stability.

Aug 1, 2013

By Paul D. Martinka

Coal is the principal energy source for the American Electric Power System (AEP System), which generates and delivers more electric energy to its customers within a seven-state area than any other investor- owned electric public utility. The company expected to burn 21.5 million tons of coal in 1968 at its coal-fired, steam-electric generating stations. About 4.3 million tons, representing 20% of the firm's total annual requirement, was the expected yield of its captive coal mines; the other 17.2 million tons were to be purchased from commercial mines in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. American Electric's largest captive coal mining operation is conducted by Central Ohio Coal Co., a subsidiary of Ohio Power Co., at the Muskingum mine in the Meigs Creek No. 9 coal field of southeastern Ohio. The mine was started in 1953 to produce the coal requirements of the Philo and Muskingum River generating plants of Ohio Power Co., and it has been supplying their annual requirements in the range of 2.5 to 3.5 million tons since that time. The Muskingum River plant is one of the major steam-electric generating stations on the AEP System. This plant began operation in 1953 with a 215-megawatt unit and now has five generating units with a total plant capacity of 1,495 megawatts. The addition of the 615-megawatt Unit 5 in the summer of 1968 increased the total annual coal requirement of the plant from 2.6 to 4.4 million tons. In order to produce the additional 1.8 million tons of coal for the Unit 5 addition and to exploit the remaining coal reserves at the Muskingum mine most economically, Central Ohio Coal Co. has undertaken a $41 million expansion and modernization program, involving the world's largest dragline and an electric railroad.

Jan 1, 1969

By J. W. van der Merwe, K. G. Moloko

Furnace wall tubes from 600 MW subcritical boilers at three coal-fired power stations were sampled and the fireside deposits examined to determine the mechanism of fireside corrosion. This involved an indepth investigation into the morphology and composition of the fireside deposits and the conditions of the furnace that enable this type of attack. SEM-EDS analysis revealed high concentrations of oxygen, iron, and sulphur, QEMSCAN and XRD analyses identified the presence of Fe3O4, Fe2O3, FeS, and FeS2. Differential thermal analysis showed thermal activities at temperatures of 500–600°C, 900–1100°C, and 1100–1250°C, which are associated, respectively, with FeS2 oxidation to FeS and Fe2O3, at 475–525°C, formation of aluminosilicates at 925–1100°C, and melting of FeS around 1190°C. The absence of sodium and potassium eliminates the contribution of molten alkali sulphates to the corrosion. The consistent coexistence of iron sulphide and iron oxide is indicative of the substoichiometric conditions in the furnace, while the detection of pyrite suggests that the coal is not completely combusted, which points to a poor combustion process. These observations were affirmed by gas analysis at one of the stations, where very high levels of carbon monoxide were measured at the furnace wall (≥ 14 000 ppm) and furnace exit (≥ 3500 ppm). The high CO concentrations are indicative of limited combustion caused by limited O2. These reducing conditions promote the formation of FeS-rich deposit, which is the corrosive species responsible for degradation.

Jun 1, 2021

By James J. Cahill

Contractor's working in an urban environment face a multitude of working conditions. There is no typical "Downtown" job site. From afar we just see the skyline, or up close a specific building. This, of course, does not give us a clue as to the site conditions the foundation contractor faced in doing his work. The open, downtown building site is still available on some projects, but they are becoming rare as our cities are becoming more developed. A typical site today might include any one or several of the following problems: A. Deep pit with no ramp access B. Multi-type known or unknown obstructions C. Height limitations D. Load restrictions E. Existing adjacent building founded on shallow foundation F. Existing foundations G. Existing tunnels, utilities or subways

Jan 1, 1991

By K B. Bowley

This paper covers the application of a systematic maintenance plan by the Plant Engineering Department of Rio Algom Mines Limited, Milliken Division. The plan established the function of work study, developed and installed formal work planning and labour cost control procedures, and extended the existing preventive maintenance routines. In June, 1961, assisted by management consultants, a more scientific approach to maintenance was instituted. The emphasis was placed on the control of labour. The development and application of the primary control system was established with-in six months. Since then, the Department has operated for a year, consolidating the system. The procedure of the installation, the results achieved and the results to be expected will be discussed. JNTRODUCTION THE Milliken Division of Rio Algom Mines Limited operates a 3,000-ton-per-day uranium mine, in the Elliot Lake district of Ontario, which went into production in April of 1958. The lowest operating level is 3,000 feet below surface. Mining is carried out by open stopping, with planned pillar support and footwall haulage on rail.

Jan 1, 1963

By Wern-Ping Nick Chen

Durability risks for underground facilities can be underestimated during design phase as compared to well-known geological risks. However, unclear durability requirements can result in construction schedule delay and change orders. Unlike bridges or buildings, a unified underground durability code or standard does not exist. This paper will provide a durability approach for underground facilities, including degradation modes, mitigations, and compliance measures during construction. In addition, this paper will address how to clearly specify durability requirements in a contract document to reduce disputes during construction and discuss key durability tests that are time consuming and will impact construction schedule if not timely planned.

Jun 23, 2024

Two of the problems long associated with the complete extraction of level pillars in the wide ore bodies of Broken Hill have been: (1) The high cost of maintaining level gangways through areas of slow subsidence to provide adequate trucking roads for the transport of sand filling; and (2) The difficulty and high cost of completely filling depleted areas. This paper deals with the experiments conducted to devise an apparatus for transporting, with the aid of compressed air, sandfill from the underground sand passes to the stopes and describes the sand blower which has been developed. This apparatus has to a large degree overcome the difficulties and removed much of the hazard associated with the rapid extraction of level pillars.Special attention is drawn to the sizing analysis of the sand and to the fact that it is not dry material. It was early found that these factors were determinants in the design and development of the apparatus described.Acknowledgment is made to the General Manager of Broken Hill South Limited for permission to present this paper, to the engineering department for assisting in the design of the apparatus, and to the underground staff for their co-operation in training the operators and in bringing to success this method of stope filling.PREVIOUS FILLING METHODSThe South Mine, with a monthly production of approximately 32,000 tons of lead-sHver-zinc sulphide ore by cut-and-fill mining methods, requires about 11,000 cubic yards of filling per month. With the exception of a small and variable quantity of developmental mullock, all this filling is...

Jan 1, 1941

By P. L. Swanson, F. M. Boler

The U.S. Bureau of Mimes conducts research at the Galena Mine, Wallace, ID, with the aim of mitigating the effects of rock bursting. Destress blasting is commonly used as a stress control technique at the mine. A digital seismic array and an array of borehole pressure cells (BPC's) had been installed near the site of a stope undergoing mining and periodic destressing. The instrumentation was being monitored at the time of a destress blast of the 46-99 stope. No significant seismic events occurred coincident with the destress. However, the destress was followed by a 21/2-week period of increased seismic activity, including two damaging events on February 7, 1990, at 034500 (hour, minute, and second) and 122020 Pacific standard time. BPC measurements indicated coseismic ground pressure changes on the order of 200 to 300 kPa associated with the damaging events. Fault plane solutions and dislocation models established that stress changes induced by the event at 034500 may have been significant in promoting the occurrence of the event at 122020. Theoretical investigations suggest that applying knowledge of the existing stress field, an understanding of rock burst mechanics, and fracture mechanics principles can improve destress effectiveness.

Jan 1, 1993