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By Robert A. Haney, David J. Atchison, Kenneth G. Fields

Mining systems with greater than a 20-foot face advance (deep cut) have become popular due to their increased productivity and safety. The face dust collection system used in many of the mines employing the deep cut systems, incorporates a machine mounted dust collector with either a blowing or exhausting line brattice and a remote control operated continuous miner. In order to characterize and quantify the parameters used to control dust with these systems, the Dust Division conducted studies on four mining sections using continuous miners with deep cut mining systems. On each section, the dust control system incorporated line brattice with a machine mounted dust collector. The remote control made it possible for the continuous mining machine to advance further while permitting the operator to remain under supported roof and away from dust generated during mining. The purpose of these studies was to evaluate the effectiveness of deep cut mining systems using dust collectors to control respirable dust exposure. This paper summarizes the results of the studies conducted. At each mine face workers were sampled to determine their full-shift dust exposure. Additionally, fixed point dust samples were collected at various locations to determine relative concentrations of dust generated from mining. Air quantities were measured at each working place to determine the amount of air delivered to the face area. Evaluations were made by comparing worker exposures to respirable dust samples taken at appropriate locations upstream and downstream of the coal faced being mined. An estimate of the amount of the respirable dust being generated at the face during mining and the amount of respirable dust being removed by the dust collectors was made by balancing the air quantities and the dust concentrations immediately upstream and downstream of the coal face. Results of the studies showed that the dust control systems, were effective for controlling workers exposure to respirable dust. Dust collector efficiencies were determined to be approximately 85 percent. While the dust collectors were effective in removing respirable dust, the success of the systems with line brattice greater than twenty feet from the face, was dependent on the use of the remote control which permitted the continuous miner operator to remain out of the high concentration dust cloud in the working face. Dilution from intake air, combined with the dust collector efficiency, maintained exposure of other section workers below applicable standards.

Jan 1, 1991

By L. Zhou, D. Bahrami

A reliable and stable ventilation system is essential to the safe operation of underground mines. The stability of a mine ventilation system becomes extremely critical while responding to a fire incident since an unstable ventilation system will pose a risk of airflow reversal. The reversed airflow could bring the fire contaminants such as toxic gases and smoke unexpectedly to working areas. In the past few years, there has been a growing interest in the study of ventilation network stability using the concept of resistance sensitivity, which is described as an indicator of how the airflow in an airway is reacting to a resistance change of other airways. Several methods of calculating the resistance sensitivity in a mine ventilation network have been carried out by researchers and scholars around the world. However, the proposed methods heavily rely on a vast amount of mine ventilation simulations, which are very time and computer-power consuming, especially for a large-scale mine ventilation network. In this paper, a direct derivative method calculating the resistance sensitivities with a single mine ventilation simulation has been developed and implemented into a mine fire simulation software, MFIRE. The results from the direct derivative method were verified against the results from a traditional method. The direct derivative method has been proved to be reliable and accurate.

Mar 2, 2022

By Richard S. Mateer

The percent ash in a coal blend is equal to the weighted average of the ash contents of the component coals. If the raw coals differ in washability characteristics, the total yield may be maximized by washing the component coals to different quality levels. A mathematical basis for blend maximization is developed and a computer program is described The program determines the component weights that maximize the yield, while meeting an individual coal-quality specification. The procedure is directly applicable to linear parameters of grade quality such as percent ash, percent sulfur and the calorific value. A transformation of variables permits program execution to meet a sulfur-compliance specification. Blends may consist of any number of component coals.

Jan 1, 1997

By Yoshihiro Kawarabata

INTRODUCTION The shield-driven method in Japan has been adopted widely in soft ground tunneling, namely, subway, water supply, sewer and utility tunnels, and recently this is an indispensable method in urban area. Since this method was started to adopt on a full scale from the beginning of 1960, construction achievements in length were about 830 km for 15 years until 1974 (1). According to the recent informations of the Japan Tunneling Association, the achievement in length under construction as of December, 1977, was about 350 km (2) and the extention of increase in shield-driven method can be guessed (Tab. 1). Tab. 1 - Achievement in Length by Shield-driven Method (As of December, 1977, Unit: m) (---): Achievement by Okumura Corporation [ ]

Jan 1, 1979

By F. L. Wilke

Bong Mining Co. Ltd. in Liberia, West Africa, operates an iron ore open pit some 60 miles northeast of Monrovia. The production is at present about 40,000 t/d (metric tons/day) from which about 18,500 t/d concentrate with 65.5% Fe is produced. The ore waste ratio is about 1: 1.5 to 1:2. The technical layout and the equipment are very similar to those in many modern open-pit operations as described by Jacobs and Thomson (1967). As described by Lersch in detail (1966), the deposit is a very irregular one. The quality of the ore changes within very short distances with regard to both physical conditions (hardness) and chemical properties. Very soft and very hard ore as well as high-grade and low-grade ore are found adjacent to each other. In addition, there are enclosures of sterile rocks. For the purpose of identification and production scheduling, 12 different types of ore are distinguished.

Jan 1, 1979

By R. A. Jankowski

The US Bureau of Mines (USBM) conducted a series of laboratory tests to investigate the effectiveness of using a flooded-bed scrubber with exhaust ventilation in deep-cut faces. An experimental test program to determine the impact on respirable dust levels resulting from changes in face airflow, curtain-setback distance, operator positioning and operating parameters of the external spray system on the miner was completed. Gravimetric sampling was conducted in the immediate return and at three sampling locations on the off-curtain side of the entry. Statistically significant differences in dust levels, on the order of 0.5 to 1.2 mg/m3, were observed between specific sampling locations and changes in several test parameters. Dust sampling results indicated that a flooded-bed scrubber and exhaust ventilation can be a viable dust-control system for extracting deep cuts up to 12.2 m (40 ft) in length. The impact on methane was not evaluated.

Jan 1, 1998

By Norman E. Breslow, John A. Montgomery, Sanford W. Horstman

Reconstruction of historical exposures to silica dust is required in an ongoing cohort mortality study of workers in the diatomaceous earth (DE) industry. However, historical data were collected using three different sampling methods. This study was conducted to derive empirical quantitative relationships from linear regression equations between the three methods: standard impinger, total mass, and respirable mass. Dust from one diatomaceous earth processing plant was sampled simultaneously by all three methods. Results from 61 clusters of the three sampling devices indicate that the phcle size distribution of the dust varies with the two parent products sampled. baghouse product and main product. The relationships between particle counts and respirable mass are: Respirable mass (mg/m3) = 0.064 (mppd) impinger count for baghouse product dust, and respirable mass (mg/m3) = 0.018 (mppcf) impinger count for main product dust. The relationships between particle counts and total mass are: Total mass (mg/m3) = 0.837 (mppcf) impinger count for baghouse product, and total mass (mg/m3) = 1.21 (mppcf) for main product dust. In all four euuations, the intercept did not differ significantly from zero, and the correlation coefficients ranged from 0.90 to 0.95. Results are compared with data from four previously published studies.

Jan 1, 1991

By Mulong Yu, Yosry A. Attia

Beneficiation of high magnesium Florida phosphates requires ultrafine grinding to liberate the dolomite (the main source of magnesium), and a separation process capable of dealing with ultrafine sizes such as selective flocculation. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of separating dolomite from apatite ultrafines by selective flocculation. To achieve this objective, selective polymeric reagents to either dolomite or apatite must be first designed and synthesized. This challenging task was accomplished by carefully selecting complexing/chelating agents which are selective to either the Ca or Mg ionic sites on the minerals, and incorporating these reagents into the structure of long chain water soluble polymers to obtain either selective flocculants (with high molecular weight, MW, polymers), or selective dispersants (with low MW polymers) to either the dolomite or the apatite particles. Synthesis and testing of these polymers on individual and mixed mineral slurries, and on a sample of natural high magnesium phosphate ore, have been attempted and the results are described in the paper. The preliminary results showed encouraging signs for the feasibility of selective flocculation separation of dolomite from apatite.

Jan 1, 1993

By G. Fehr, B. B. Panda, R. Bansberg, K. Arnold, T. Freiman

To evaluate the potential for process solutions to contaminate groundwater outside of the area of the Oxide Pit, it is necessary to predict the ultimate maximum pit lake elevation once pit-related mining activities have ceased. A water balance model was developed based on the existing pit geometry, the groundwater flow equation, and assumed hydrologic input parameters. The model assumed that at any point in time, total inflow into the system (i.e., direct precipitation, surface water and groundwater) minus outflow from the system (evaporation from the lake surface) was equal to the change in the pit water volume. The pit lake depth over time was predicted by assuming a succession of steady- state water balance conditions over short time increments. An analytical method using a spreadsheet and computer model was employed in this study to model the filling of the lake in the Oxide Pit. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate uncertainty associated with the input parameters in the model. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the model was most sensitive to values of precipitation and evaporation and to the static water table.

Jan 1, 2003

By Joseph Keenan

In March of 1994, Dynatec Mining Limited entered into a contract with PCL Civil Constructors to carry out the underground excavations for the Algonquin Power Corporation’s15 Megawatt Nagagami hydro-electric power station located near Hearst, Ontario, Canada. Dynatec completed the work for this project in early October 1995. Dynatec Mining Limited’s work included the excavation of a 175 meter long penstock driven at a grade of -25% to a 4000 m3 powerhouse located 50 meters below the intake elevation. A 1200 meter long tailrace was driven from the Nagagami River to connect with the powerhouse. Two 50 meter raises were driven from the powerhouse to surface to pro-vide access for equipment and personnel. The excavation of the tailrace tunnel(5.8m x 5.9m) was completed using Dynatec’s Long Round Jumbo Technology.

Jan 1, 1997

By M. Saidman, R. Pizzuti, R. Hirschfeld, A. J. Desai, J. Rand

Two bedrock tunnels, 170 to 250 feet deep and with a length of about 17,000 feet each, will be used to convey cooling water from the Atlantic Ocean to the Seabrook, N.H., Nuclear Power Plant. Seismic reflection and refraction surveys were used to obtain preliminary information about overburden and bedrock conditions. A major boring program, including core orientation and water-pressure testing, was undertaken to provide detailed geologic data. The results of the geotechnical investigation were summarized in terms of rock type, frequency and character of joints, degree of weathering, modified core recovery (RQD), pressure-test results and strength and hardness. These parameters were used as a basis for evaluating the feasibility of using a tunnel-boring machine, for designing and estimating the initial support systems, and for evaluating the grouting and tunnel lining requirements.

Jan 1, 1976

By Larry Whittle

Gold milling activities generate waste streams containing dissolved metals and cyanide, among other contaminants, that require some form of treatment prior to discharging to the environment. To date, this treatment has involved the destruction of cyanide through natural degradation, chemical oxidation, or a combination of both followed by the precipitation of metal hydroxides. Although these processes have been proven to be capable of achieving. regulatory levels for metals and cyanide, they often generate significant levels of cyanate and, at times, ammonia, that may be toxic to rainbow trout and thus undesirable for regulatory compliance. Tallon Metal Technologies Inc. (Tallon) has developed Vitrokele™, a chelating resin that has the ability to capture metals (including gold), both total and weak acid dissociable cyanide, as well as thiocyanate from both slurries and solutions. The loaded resin is eluted and returned to the recovery circuit while metals and cyanide are recovered from the eluent stream. This process was demonstrated at pilot scale at B.P. Resources' Hope Brook Gold Mine in Newfoundland, and more recently at Canamax's Bell Creek Mine near Timmins, Ontario. The results from these pilot programs showed metal and cyanide recoveries of 99% or more with the concentration of cyanide and metals in the effluent reduced to levels with minimal or no toxicity to rainbow trout. Furthermore, neither cyanate nor ammonia were generated from the process. The loaded resin was effectively stripped and re-introduced to the recovery circuit; cyanide was captured in the eluent stream and made available for recycling to the mill leaching circuit; and metals were captured for re-use, sale or disposal. This paper summarizes the results obtained from the pilot tests at the Bell Creek and Hope Brook Gold mine sites.

Jan 1, 1992

By Joseph Peterson, Alexander May

The Bureau of Mines used geochemical modelling computer programs to characterize a site containing lead slag generated by a lead processing facility. Tests for toxic elements by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extraction procedure showed that all elements except lead were in compliance. Concentrations for lead ranged from 28 to 30 ppm. However, analysis of water samples from monitoring wells resulted in no lead concentrations that exceeded the National Drinking Water Standard. A discussion of a computational program to calculate concentrations of lead species and several other ions is presented.

Jan 1, 1991

By Ian Hutchison, Michael C. Salmon

TRC'S INNOVATIVE EXIT STRATEGIES™ FOR MINE CLOSURE , MINE "EXIT STRATEGIES™", WHAT IS AN EXIT STRATEGY™?

Jan 1, 1998

By Leslie Thompson, Randy Hiebert, Marietta Canty

A paper is presented in which an innovative biological process is described for the treatment of cyanide-, metals-, and nitrate-contaminated mine process water. The technology is capable of detoxifying cyanide and nitrate and immobilizing metals in wastewater from agitation cyanide leaching as well as heap leaching. A pilot-scale demonstration is described in which a pilot plant was constructed to detoxify cyanide and immobilize several metals from a mine process wastestream at a mine in Nevada. The demonstration was performed jointly under the Mine Waste Technology Program (MWTP), which is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is jointly administered by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Western Environmental Technology Office (WETO) and the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Demonstration Program under Interagency Agreement Number DW89938513-01-0. MSE Technology Applications, Inc. (MSE) located in Butte, Montana, was the contractor responsible for conducting the project, and Pintail Systems Inc. of Aurora, Colorado, was the technology provider. The pilot-scale unit was field tested at the Echo Bay McCoy/Cove Mine southwest of Battle Mountain, Nevada. The biotreatment process was con­sidered to be very successful in detoxifying cyanide from the mine process water. The process was also determined to be very effective in removing metals. The pH was consistently neutral­ized and nitrates were successfully removed in the mine process water. As a result of conducting these pilot-scale tests, the biotreatment process was concluded to offer an innovative, cost­effective alternative for the treatment of mining wastewaters.

Jan 1, 1998

By E. G. Joe

Introduction Uranium mining has been actively carried on in Canada for over twenty-five years mainly in Ontario at Elliot Lake in Bancroft, and in Northern Saskatchewan at the operations of Eldorado Nuclear Ltd. During this period, approximately one hundred million tons of mill tailings have been created and lie mainly on the surface close to the mining and milling installations. If all of the present reserves of uranium ores in Canada are mined, a further eight hundred million tons of mine tailings could be created in Ontario, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, Labrador and British Columbia. The present control of effluents from existing tailings is managed by the operating mines under the regulations of both federal and provincial control agencies. It is the long-term effect of these tailings on the environment that has not been clearly defined or measured. Several years ago, the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, embarked upon a program of research directed at the long-term effects of uranium mine tailings. Much of the research to date has been on tailings in the Elliot Lake, Ontario area where some tailings piles have existed for over twenty years. The program consists of two projects, one to address the problem of existing tailings and the other to examine alternatives in the management of current and future tailings. TAILINGS CHARACTERISTICS Uranium tailings are generally the result of sulphuric acid leaching in which the uranium and alkaline minerals such as carbonates and chlorites are leached out. If the ore contains sulphides, these minerals potentially present an additional hazard of acid generation over time and could increase the mobility of heavy metals and some radionuclides such as thorium-230. Except for the extracted uranium, most of the radionuclides from the ore remain in the tailings pile. Uranium ores in Canada span a wide variety of mineralization and associated gangue composition. Uranium minerals include pitchblende, uraninite, uranothorite, brannerite and the phosphate uranium minerals autunite and saleeite. Gangue minerals vary from acid consuming carbonates, and chlorites to acid producing sulphides and inert silicates. With such a wide variety in ore composition, the characteristics of the resultant tailings in Canada are in many cases site specific and the solutions to the long-term effects of these tailings may also be site specific.

Jan 1, 1980

By Michael J. Virnig, Keith E. Weerts

The development of heap leach technology for the treatment of low grade gold and silver ores has led to a boom in gold production in the Western United States in the last 15 years. The heap leaching process consists of stacking the mined ore on a specially prepared leach pad followed by leaching with dilute alkaline cyanide solution. Depending on the nature of the ore, it may require crushing and/or agglomeration prior to stacking on the leach pad. As the dilute alkaline cyanide solution migrates down through the stacked ore, the precious metal values along with a portion of the base metal values present in the ore are dissolved to give a pregnant leach solution which is collected at the base of the stacked ore. The precious metal values are then recovered by zinc precipitation or by adsorption on activated carbon. Once all of the economic metal values have been leached from the ore, the spent heap leach pad, the leached materials, and associated process solutions must be decomissioned. Decommissioning requires that the spent heap leach pad along with the leached materials and process solution be treated to reduce the concentration of the residual cyanide, base metal cyanide complexes, and other anionic metal species to levels where they no longer represent a long tenn liability for the environment and the operator. The levels to which these components must be reduced is dependent upon the applicable water quality standards as determined by the responsible federal, state, and local agencies. As environmental awareness has grown, these standards have become increasingly stringent. A number of treatment options have been developed for the de-toxification of the process residues. These include natural degradation which incorporates bio-degradation, fresh water rinsing, alkaline chlorination, hydrogen peroxide, and sulfur dioxide/air. Each of these options has been reviewed with regard to relative effectiveness, generation of hazardous by­products, reagent handling considerations, relative costs, and time requirements by Denton, Iverson, and Gosling I. As an outgrowth of the program to develop Henkel's guanidine based gold extractants, COGNIS, Inc., the environmental ann of Henkel, has developed the CyanoMet R process for the extraction and concentration of the various cyanide and anionic metal species from the dilute aqueous alkaline solutions generated during the process of detoxifying spent heap leach pads. This paper describes the CyanoMet R process, its application to three different feed solutions, and treatment of the concentrate generated by the process.

Jan 1, 1993

L.R. Bower In regard to the paper by J.B. Gwiazda, it makes a highly technical approach to show that the µ factor used by designers of lemniscate-guided roof supports has never really been confirmed as a maximum and assumes that convergence is vertical. Also, the paper does not appear to take into account deflection of structures, which occurs when the lemniscate and base members are fully loaded to their maximum stress level, nor the front to back line of the support in relation to differential roof to floor movements caused by strata movements under pressure. It is not unusual for differential movements to be slightly diagonal to the line of the support, particularly in faulted areas and on gradient faces. The paper also does not take into account consolidation of fines immediately above and below the support. Generally speaking, any differential movement is from face to waste and under these conditions the µ of 0.3, which appears to be an international standard, has worked in practice. However, if the face end of the support is lower than the waste end, then the µ of 0.3 can be considerably increased, giving rise to the damage mentioned in the paper. The ideal design should aim for a slightly forward bias in the lemniscate guide so that the last increment of setting is toward the face, tending to close any fissures that may have developed during the support advance cycle. The support should also be fitted with positive set valves to ensure that a high setting load density is attained to minimize bed separation. As far as powered supports are concerned, convergence is irresistible and all powered supports converge at their rated yield load. A similar principle can be applied to the differential roof to floor movements to drastically reduce the very high forces that would otherwise be applied to the lemniscate structures and pins and that, in turn, are transferred to the base arrangement and floor loading. Any differential movements are usually catered for by the 0.3 µ factor or deflection of structures in the lemniscate guide arrangement and consolidation of the floor. The floor loading, due to differential movement, is in addition to the support convergence load and requires additional bearing area to avoid possible floor penetration. Some seven years ago, Fletcher Sutcliffe Wild Ltd. (FSW) introduced a lemniscate-guided shield support where the lemniscate linkage is connected to the roof bar through two horizontally converging rams to allow differential movement to take place above a given rated figure. This is a known force and can be guarded against, whereas with rigid connections the forces, as yet, are unconfirmed. By careful design, a horizontal force in excess of 6 MN (60 tons) opposes differential movements for a total ram loading of only 2.5 MN (25 tons), or 1.25 MN (12% tons) each. This principle can considerably reduce the length and weight of the support in comparison with a rigid pin-type structure ; also, the yield load rating can be increased without affecting the lemniscate forces. The graph shows the tensile and compressive forces in a lemniscate linkage of a support with and without hydrostore. These forces react into both the roof beam and base members and, as can be seen from the support height to linkage load graph, a considerable reduction in these reactions is gained by the use of the FSW patented hydrostore system. Floor loading is considerably reduced under maximum µ conditions, and by allowing the roof bar to move with the strata, some degree of improvement to strata control is achieved in line with the assumptions in the paper. In practice, these movements have only been in the region of a few millimeters, which, in turn, reflects on the improvements to strata control by the addition of positive set valves. Supports to this design of both 450- and 280-t (496-and 309-st) rating have been successfully used in the United Kingdom for several years, negotiating many faulted areas without one single reported need for repair or maintenance. This includes supports left unattended during the year-long strike, proving the reliability of the system.

Jan 8, 1986

By Lance Rasband, Richard Hanke, John Starcevich

"The world’s largest tunnel boring machine (TBM), at the time of her launch in 2012, the TBM locally referred to as “Bertha,” is incapacitated due to mechanical failure. Bertha’s stoppage places her 25m below the surface between the aged Alaskan Way Viaduct and the failing Seattle Seawall. Accessing Bertha with a vertical shaft provides the best approach to access all facets needed for repairs and will allow the full removal of Bertha’s cutter head and related inner workings. Due to the limited area above the tunnel alignment and physical constraints created by existing infrastructure, the dimensions of the otherwise symmetrical shaft are heavily impacted, thereby requiring special attention to design and layout. Consequently, the shaft design required a combination of 3m, 2.5m, 2.2m, 1.5m and 1m diameter unreinforced drilled secant piles coupled with various ground improvement techniques and dewatering, to fully satisfy the shoring design requirements. This paper will describe the shaft installation procedures, equipment used and pitfalls encountered while undertaking access shaft construction of this magnitude. INTRODUCTION Mining on Seattle’s SR99 tunnel began in July of 2013. Initial mining progressed slowly through a 4.5 m thick fiber-reinforced concrete headwall before immediately entering the first of three planned safe havens. Once through the headwall and safe haven the machine would move through roughly 122 lineal meters of jet grout improved soil at a rate of slightly over 1.6 m per day. It was anticipated that once mining has passed through the improved area, “Bertha” – now the world’s 2nd largest tunnel boring machine (TBM), would be moving at a rate of almost 11 m per day. By the end of October 2013, Bertha had mined roughly 131 m, averaging 1.4 m per day, and had begun mining within native soils. By the start of December 2013, tunneling had reached the 244 m mark and Bertha was now averaging 3.6 m per day, achieving as much as 12.8 m of progress on given days. Unfortunately, on December 6th, 2013, Bertha began to stumble and all progress quickly came to a halt. Initial reports stated an obstruction had stopped Bertha in her tracks. The preliminary investigation involved installation of 10 deep dewatering wells to reduce the hydrostatic pressure within the ground around the TBM, to allow the contractor’s personnel to inspect the cutter head from within and also to investigate for the presence of obstructions at the face of the cutter head. During inspection, the contractor’s crews found fragments of steel pipe entangled in the cutter head. The steel was apparently from an abandoned 254 mm diameter monitoring well casing, previously installed by WSDOT to monitor ground water conditions for the design and planning of this tunnel project. After the steel was removed from the cutter head and cleared from Bertha’s path, she attempted to move forward but was only able to generate a slow crawl."

Jan 1, 2016

By R. Hiebert, M. Foote, S. Nordwick, M. Canty

An innovative biological treatment system designed to detoxify cyanide and nitrate and immobilize metals from cyanide leach operations is described. A pilot-plant demonstration was conducted to detoxify cyanide and immobilize several metals from a process stream at the McCoy/Cove Mine. Testing was performed under the EPA’s Mine Waste Technology and Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Demonstration Programs. This technology was successful in detoxifying cyanide and effective in removing metals. The pH was consistently neutralized and nitrates were successfully removed. Results show that biological treatment can offer an innovative, cost-effective alternative for the treatment of mining wastewaters.

Jan 1, 1999