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By Staff

The mineral sector is a fundamental part of the U.S. economy. It contributes to the real gross domestic product (GDP) at several stages—basic (mining), intermediate processing, manufacturing of finished goods and construction. The estimated growth rate for the real GDP of the United States for 2006 was 3.2 percent. The nominal GDP was about $13.2 trillion. The value of minerals mined in the United States in 2006 rose significantly because of increased unit price for some metals—particularly copper, zinc and other base metals. There was also a significant reduction in metals stocks. Infrastructure expansion and manufacturing in China and India have been absorbing a significant portion of world output. Domestic production increased for some industrial mineral materials, mainly cement and construction sand and gravel. Production of crushed stone declined less than 1 percent in 2006 compared

Jan 1, 2007

By R. Butcher

Mud rushes are hazardous occurrences that have occurred frequently in mines in South Africa, and have been the cause of numerous fatalities in the past. Mud rush incidents not associated with accidents are believed to be common occurrences that are not generally reported. Many such incidents are probably associated with the operation of chutes and box fronts. This paper describes the conditions necessary for mud rush occurrences, postulated mud rush mechanisms, and methods of combating the mud rush hazard.

Jan 1, 2005

By Christopher J. Bise

PRINCIPLES OF MINE PLANNING During the initial planning stages, all mining operations are analyzed and evaluated in a similar fashion. This similarity holds true because the mine-planning procedure can be reduced to a network of interrelated systems that are tied together by a common philosophy of mine planning: namely, that the resource is to be extracted in a manner which is safe, efficient, and profitable. The success of the mining operation cannot be guaranteed unless each of these three requirements is met. Fig. 1 shows a flowchart for the initial planning of any mining operation. Notice that there is a preplanning stage that leads to the planning of four interrelated systems. The preplanning stage includes property exploration, estimation of production and manpower requirements, and the establishment of construction timetables. The four systems, evaluated after the pre-planning stage, are broken down into the following: (1) Excavation and handling system, (2) Strata control system, (3) Operating support system, and (4) Service support system. The Excavation and handling system includes the selection of all the equipment for the removal of the resource from its in-place deposit (e.g., draglines, continuous miners, rock drills, etc.) and for the transportation of the mined material from the face (e.g., belt conveyors, trucks, etc.). The Strata control system incorporates all those considerations which maintain the integrity of the roof, ribs, floor, and overburden both during and after the extraction phase; typical considerations in this area include pillar sizing, artificial support of the immediate roof in mine entries, and subsidence protection. The Operating support system contains the "necessary evils" of mine planning; the system consumes a large percentage of the mining engineer's planning time but does not contribute to the actual extraction of the resource. However, if proper attention is not paid to the various components of the system, such as ventilation, drainage, and power, then the mining operation will not perform to its capabilities. Finally, the Service support system is composed of those operations which keep the mine running efficiently; typical examples of these include maintenance and sup- ply. One important concept that Fig. 1 is designed to emphasize is that the four systems are interrelated; typically, a slight alteration of one can affect the performance of another. If these interrelationships are ignored, the effects on the system can be disastrous. The mine preplanning stage and the four subsequent system evaluations constitute the Analysis portion of the mine planning flowchart. After this portion of the study is completed, the overall projected operation can be evaluated by techniques such as financial analysis. This last step in the study is referred to as the Synthesis of the previously calculated parameters into an overall plan. Much has been written about the overall evaluation of mining properties, but, over the past thirty years, very little has been written about the analysis of mine- planning systems in a coordinated manner. Further, those texts which attempted this topic have failed to give sufficient examples for successful implementation, thus supporting the operating engineers' lament that it is easy to discuss theories but difficult to show applications. This text is intended to bridge this gap. Examples of the various stages of the analysis portion of the mine planning flowchart shown in Fig. 1 will be covered in this text, with the exception of the Service support system, since this system is oriented more toward day-to-day planning than long-term mine planning. INTERNATIONAL STANDARDIZATION The benefits that can be derived from an international standardization of the units used in mining engineering calculations are numerous. The interchange- ability of equipment parts and the ability to analyze and compare performance and design specifications on an equal basis are just two of the goals desired by both manufacturers and mine operators. Unfortunately, conversion to an international standard has not been rapidly achieved by engineers in the United States, due to their training under the English system. The Society of Mining Engineers of AIME has made the commitment for the adoption of the Systeme International d'Unites (SI) in all mining engineering calculations. Since many practicing mining engineers and students in undergraduate programs still find difficulty in relating to SI units, the calculations in this textbook will use the English system, with Table 1 available for conversion into SI units.

Jan 1, 1986

By David C. Kraft

Helical piles and ground anchors were used to meet critical design and constructability requirements for an urban forest Canopy Walk at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, GA. The 12-foot wide pedestrian walkway path was to be nestled among the treetops of a forest, extending to 600 ft. in length, and soaring 40 ft. high above the forest floor. Of particular concern during construction was that the foundation system for the temporary steel shoring system had to be non-invasive to the subsoil, could not damage the forest floor, trees, root systems, or foliage, and upon completion of the concrete walkway pour, could be removed, again without disturbing the subsoil. Accubrace, Inc. designed and installed all the helical foundation types, as well as provided steel braces, typically used in Tilt-Up building construction, for the walkway project. The braces, some extending to 43 ft. in length, were used to provide lateral support against wind loads for the walkway form. In addition, the braces acted as secondary support for lateral loads during the placement of wet concrete along the 600 ft. length of the walkway. Helical foundation products installed included vertical compression piles, ground anchors for tension rods, and ground anchors for the braces. The installation of the piles and anchors was particularly challenging since the forest floor elevation varied as much as 50 ft. due to the presence of a ravine. Information is provided on the subsoil conditions, required loads, design, installation, and acceptance criteria for each helical product type installed for the project. The results of vertical and lateral load tests on the helical piles in the pre-construction phase, conducted in conformance to project specifications are presented. Photographs to illustrate the nature and complexity of the project are included. The concrete pour for the walkway was successfully completed on December 12, 2009, and the walkway was opened for visitors in May, 2010.

Jan 1, 2011

By Anil K. Ray

Roof falls are one of the greatest hazards in underground coal mines worldwide. Due to stringent safety measures and extensive support system development, roof falls have been reduced significantly but they still persist in many underground coal mines. Some of the roof falls initiate with cutter roof or guttering. In the past, many factors have been identified as being responsible for the development of cutters and roof fall. These responsible factors can be broadly classified as stress related or non-stress related. In this paper the finer details of mining technique have been taken into consideration for better understanding of cutter roof and roof fall problems. Three dimensional finite difference modeling has been used to explain the mechanism of cutter development. Strain softening material behavior has been used to realistically simulate the cutter formation, and common cutting sequences as implemented in the field have been simulated. This was done with an objective to determine whether the cutting sequence has really any significant control over cutter formation or not. In addition to cutting sequences, the effect of cut length is also studied. The effect of step cutting and turning of crosscut into and away from major and minor horizontal stresses is also examined to see its influence on cutter development.

Jan 1, 2009

By Julie Culverhouse, Dennis Grimm, Kieran Harding, Jean-Francois Boulanger

"Agrium’s Canadian Phosphate Business (CPB) is comprised of Kapuskasing Phosphate Operations (KPO) in Northern Ontario, Canada’s only operating phosphate mine, and Redwater Phosphate Operations (RPO) in Alberta, which manufactures the fertilizer from KPO’s concentrate.Production from KPO’s South Pit commenced in 2009 and introduced contaminant problems: high aluminium from crandallite and kaolinite clays. These issues caused a drastic decrease in P2O5 recovery and throughput in both plants. KPO attempted to reduce Al clays by means of aggressive desliming. Meanwhile RPO experienced high amounts of dissolved metals in their feed that are detrimental to fertilizer production.This paper covers the mineralogy of the problem, its impact on contaminant separation at KPO, on RPO’s process and on Agrium’s Canadian Phosphate Business as a whole.Potential solutions to the problem are discussed and analysed, including a process change to deslime high aluminium streams more aggressively and high grade ore flotation, which is atypical at KPO. The latter is a demonstration of the value of communication between the concentrator and the client, as KPO accepted a recovery loss and increased production costs in order to increase overall CPB profits. General lessons learned are discussed, followed by a section on ore blending.INTRODUCTIONAlthough the existence of the Kapuskasing phosphate deposit has been known since the 1970s, it’s only since 1999 that Agrium has been operating the Kapuskasing Phosphate Operations (KPO). The mine consists of three major pits (Center, North and South) from which a mining contractor hauls the apatite ore to the Agrium concentrator. The beneficiation plant processes the ore, separating contaminants such as Fe, Mg and Al which are detrimental to its client, Agrium’s Redwater Phosphate Operations (RPO). The KPO concentrate is finally thickened, filtered and dried before being shipped by rail to RPO.At the Redwater plant, the KPO concentrate is added to a sulfuric acid solution in an attack tank, to create a phosphoric acid solution and gypsum:"

Jan 1, 2011

By J. Hurdley, J. A. Plant, H. Robotham, P. R. Simpson, G. C. Lalor

Paper presented at the 28th International Geological Congress held in Washington DC, July 1989 (International geochemical mapping sessions). The results of orientation studies for a regional geochemical survey of Jamaica and the CARICOM countries of the Caribbean region are described. The survey is designed to provide systematic geochemical information for a wide variety of applications and, especially, to form a basis for agricultural development in the region

Jul 1, 1991

By Rob Morrison, Andrew Scott

"Long before a modern mine commences operations it has already become a wealth of information. After start up, it can generate enormous quantities of data – especially with semi-automated data acquisition by instrumented mine equipment. Much of this data is of limited use for evaluation of (potential) performance unless it links in some way to the site business model.An underlying reason for this waste of data is that the different cultures, financial, technical, community, environmental, etc, not only have many areas of interest but also have very different conceptual models by which they evaluate performance.It is too ambitious to attempt to bring all of these cultures together – in a single step. However, the success of the Mine to Mill ™ project has demonstrated that substantial operational value can be added by using a more integrated approach to comminution. The next logical step is to integrate measured data and then to track performance from ore body model to saleable product and waste disposal.The path from resource to product also represents a path from very sparse, highly variable data to much more detailed measurement and more representative sampling. However, in both cases the data collected is usually strongly focused on the technical requirements – not on the business model.This paper emphasises the difference between data and information. There is considerable potential for confusion between the two as both data and information are often expressed as numbers. For the purpose of this paper, data and information are distinguished by their uses.A data point (or datum) is a measurement. By way of contrast, information provides a basis for decision making."

Jan 1, 2003

By Karen Mikkola, Gerald Luttrell, Jaisen Kohmuench, Glen Oswald, Michael Mankosa, Tracy Westerfield

Hydraulic separators are commonly used for particle size classification and gravity concentration of minerals and coal. Unfortunately, the efficiency of these processes can be quite low due to poor equipment design and variations in feed consistency. To help alleviate these problems, an industry-driven R&D program has been undertaken to develop a new generation of hydraulic separators that are more efficient and less costly to operate and maintain. Two of the most promising technologies, the CrossFlow and HydroFloat separators, have now been tested at industrial sites. The data obtained from these sites have been used to illustrate the potential performance improvements that can be realized through the application of these high-efficiency separators.

Jan 1, 2005

By Victor Avdokhin, lvan Kovlekov

"Studies of the process of concentration of gold-containing sands and technogenic resources show that the main reason of gold losses is misbalance between size of gold particles and degree of roughness of mineral bed. This results in free circulation of small gold particles in pores with following washing off the particles from the bed by turbulent flows.We elaborated design of magnetic sluice, intended for improving efficiency of recovering fine gold by optimizing magnetic field of a magnetic system on the base of forming catching coat from magnetic mineralsThe magnetic sluice includes trough-shaped body from magnetic-conducting material. On the bottom of the trough, magnets are placed, and opposite poles of the magnets are oriented outwards. Thickness of the bottom is determined to be sufficient for locking magnetic lines of force of the magnets on each other. The magnets of rectangular plate shape are placed on the rough bottom, covering the whole surface or with spare areas; the magnets are placed across the trough with alteration of rows with the same pole orientation."

Jan 1, 2003

By Raymond Rivera

El presente texto describe la evaluación desarrollada por INGEMMET donde se analiza el potencial de los depósitos minerales en el Batolito Andahuaylas, Yauri, así como el potencial de algunas zonas que presenten características geoeconómicas importantes, utilizando herramientas geológicas como geocronología, isótopos radiogénicos, geoquímica de rocas y sedimentos, petromineralogía y geología estructural.

Sep 12, 2011

By Paul H. Madsen, Victor S. Romero

The Tren Urbano project in Puerto Rico includes a 19 m diameter tunnel constructed by the stacked drift method, which involves installation of a pre-supported concrete arch using multiple tunnels. Geotechnical conditions consisted of weak rock and highly weathered, unstable alluvial soils. Due to low cover, reinforcement of the arch was required. Ground behavior ranged from firm ground to mixed-face to raveling and flowing ground. Consequently, construction of the individual drifts involved many different soft-ground techniques such as steel set supports, shotcrete support, shield tunneling, forepoling, and consolidation grouting. During construction, the design was modified to improve constructability. Although settlement was experienced during excavation of the drifts, arch movements were within predicted limits and minimal surface settlement was observed upon excavation of the interior.

Jan 1, 2001

By Walter I. Paniagua

A housing complex of 76 buildings is being constructed in the city of Morelia, in western central Mexico; the buildings are 5 levels high, with a shallow concrete slab foundation. Soil conditions include a soft clay stratum, with up to 8 m depth, in a highly seismic area. Pile foundations and micro-piles were considered, but discarded due to economic factors. The alternative of soil improvement with rigid inclusions was used. An FEM (Finite Element Method) analysis was conducted to determine the diameter, spacing, length and arrangement of the inclusions. Construction was implemented with traditional methods: soil boring, and mortar tremied with pipe and the aid of a sock to contain the material (no steel reinforcement was used). So far, 46 buildings have been built, and level measurements for 18 buildings have been recorded since 2006, with resulting good behavior in both total and differential settlements.

Jan 1, 2008

By C. J. Cutler

Metallurgical accounting for toll treatment smelters pose a number of challenges. Multiple feed stockpiles have to be accounted for as part of the monthly recovery estimation. Moreover, multiple metallurgical intermediates make up part of the in-process inventory, which also influence the monthly recovery calculation. Errors propagate from the measurements of volumes, assays, moisture fractions and bulk densities in the various material types through multiple steps up to the point where the final recovery is calculated. These errors contribute non-linearly to the variance in the final recovery estimate. This paper develops the mathematical formulation for variance propagation in toll smelting operations, including the effect of in-process inventory, assuming measurement biases have been eliminated beforehand. Operational data from a Southern African copper smelter is used for a case study. The method of propagation of variance showed that uncertainties in stockpile assays were the main contributors to variance in the recovery estimate. Variance in the volume and bulk density uncertainties contributed a secondary, yet significant, proportion to the overall recovery variance. It was determined, for the given case study, that the recovery variance depended on the calculation method used and that variance propagation via the two-product formula was smaller than recovery variances calculated via the standard recovery formula. However, the probability that the two product formula will give inaccurate (versus imprecise) results is significantly more due to the practical difficulty of equiprobable sampling of tailings streams from smelter plants (which includes materials such as slags and flue dust). Recommendations are made on how to achieve a reduction in overall uncertainty for toll treatment smelters. Keywords: metallurgical accounting, copper smelters, pyrometallurgy, variance propagation, errors, precision, sampling

Jan 1, 2006

By Erle C. Donaldson

Subsurface injection of liquid and slurry-type industrial waste is being used as a means of waste disposal. This survey conducted by the Bureau of Mines shows that the method can be economically and environmentally attractive if the proper precautions are taken, especially when the alternative is cursory treatment and discharge at the surface. Attention is called to petroleum technology and experience that can be applied to subsurface waste injection. Part 1 of this report is a discussion of the general aspects of subsurface waste-injection systems. Part 2 is a general discussion and review of the literature concerning the geologic formations available for injection in the United States. Part 3 is a discussion if 15 case histories including information on the source and nature of the waste and the geology, surface equipment, well completion, and operation of the systems.

Jan 1, 1974

By Matthew Violot

Introduction ?Located off highway 6, approximately 5 km, SW of Thompson, Manitoba ?Base metal mine: Nickel? Maximum Depth: 4100 ft ?Started Production in 1966 (INCO, 2006)?Halted in 1978?Re-opened in 1989 ?Two types of mining:?VBM (vertical block mining)?Cut and Fill 1.1 Problem ?Birchtree mine is experiencing failures and undesirable dilution in some of their stopes. ?Time can have a large effect on open stopestability. ?Birchtreeis interested in how time is affecting the stability of their stopes. ?The study focuses on the lower 84 complex, which extends from 2750 to 4100 foot level.

Nov 1, 2011

Following extensive trials on a 100 000 tpa Research and Development facility at Kwinana, Western Australia, Hismelt Corporation (wholly owned by Rio Tinto) are confident of the future commercial success of this technology. The Hlsmelt process uses iron ore fines and non-coking coals to produce molten pig iron suitable for feeding to BOF and EAF steelmaking vessels. The unique process configuration combines direct injection of raw materials into the molten iron bath, high rates of metal and slag mixing, and effective post-combustion of the bath gases to achieve efficient coal utilisation. This is the key to the strong economic performance of the process.

Jan 1, 1999

By N. Fragen, H. H. Stroch

"INTRODUCTION A previous paper by H. H. Storch 4 described. three processes for the production of potassium sulphate from polyhalite (K2S01.MgSO1.2CaS04.2H2o), Since these processes depended upon calcination of polyhalite followed by leaching with water at 100°C., the fundamental reactions occurring in these steps were discussed in detail. This paper, which describes processes producing syngenite (K2S04.CaSO4.H2O) and potassium sulphate and gives data concerning the production of by-product magnesia, presents the results of work performed at the Non metallic Minerals Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, maintained at New Brunswick, N. J., in cooperation with Rutgers University.A study of the solubility relationships of the system 5 Ca++ -Mg++ -K+-SO4 = H20 at 25ºC. shows that syngenite is stable in the presence of a concentrated MgSO4 solution, the K2SO : equilibrium concentration being comparatively low (2.6 per cent), The processes described below, which involve the conversion of calcined polyhalite to syngenite, are based on the 25°C. equilibria. It has further been found that syngenite can be decomposed by water at 100ºC, yielding a 9 to 10 per cent K250 solution, the solid phase being potassium calcium pentasulphate (K2SO, 3CaSO.H2O, hereafter referred to as ""pentasulphate""). This latter compound is unstable in the presence of water at 25°C., its decomposition resulting in a solution containing about 3 per cent of K2SO4 and a solid phase consisting of gypsum. This behaviour of syngenite with water at 100°C. and of pentasulphate with water at 25ºC. constitutes the basis of processes for the production of K2SO4 by way of the conversion of calcined polyhalite to syngenite,Syngenite is a product which may be used as a fertilizer per se. As produced in the process to be described, it contains about 50 per cent of K2SO1, and will readily give up its potash content on treatment with water, although the limiting concentration at ordinary temperatures is approximately 3 per cent. This definite but limited solubility should make this product more desirable as a fertilizer then the more concentrated forms of potash salts which have higher solubilities and hence involve the danger or plant injury due to a high local concentration of potash."

Sep 1, 1931

By R. R. Faddick

Properties of coal-water slurries were studied in two separate phases: a rheological phase and a pipeline phase. The purpose of the study was to investigate the rheology of fine coal slurries to determine the effect of fine particles in a coal-water mixture on the economic and operational aspects of a slurry pipeline. The slurries consisted of 6x10, 100x200, and 200x0 mesh coal in water. A fourth slurry consisted of a mixture of the 6x10 and 200x0 mesh coal. Brookfield and Stormer rotational viscometers were used to obtain or simulate rheograms for a range of fine coal concentrations, temperatures, and particle sizes. All the slurries were pumped through a 1-inch diameter acrylic pipe. The fine coal slurries were found to encompass four distinct rheological models. The narrow size distribution of the coal slurries was apparently responsible for the high pipewall friction losses, more so than the particle size. A scale-up method applicable to Bingham plastics was found satisfactory for predicting pipeline headlosses of fine coal slurries from rheology data.

Jan 1, 1974

By S. J. Broderick

[Huge camp heaps coat. in-.n,- ta._ur nd o tons of coal :'efuse are a familiar sight in coa).--:1'_ni`l ; res io The;;' repre£e: t considerable economic loss, are very ~JZ':Si~i,tly, and tr:_ e u.: mach v lua-ble :price. Consequentl;;* their remcva7. is ,-,reatl:r de sir^~t~ a_." ar return that c,-u? be obtained would. be especially rel.co c to the coal T,-e "a_ste nat(~ria1 commrioes large pieces of bore cca1., lumps rf c12;', -)nd finer refuc3 coming from the 'acxcor~-, Tnc e'-:s: rr;I refuso contains some Food coal. Th1S coal and the better crams of _,)ore Pre t'--:e na.torials considered. in ohis in¬vestigotion. T'.-.r, heavier fractions of the vas ier,,refuse a rd. the large pieces of slate a n i roc _r contain little carbcnacaous r..aterinl -.nd axe ~vir¬ tually worthless ra'., :,atcria1. for activated carbon. In the E i 1i 11?'ar 1 dictrict~ n1ab a :1 ut irfl percent of the' coal mined is wa^,hed., and in district rc_a e -c-cnuatcs at the r..-ate of I to 2 Million tons a year?]

Jan 1, 1941