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By G Munro

he Melbourne City Link project will complete a missing link between two existing major freeways in the Melbourne road network, providing a much needed bypass of the Central Business District for through traffic. The project, which is being financed under a BOOT arrangement with the Victorian State Government, involves the upgrading of significant stretches of existing freeway and the construction of new sections involving viaducts and tunnels. The tunnel sections, which are the focus of this paper, are beneath residential and business areas, the Yarra River, the Royal Botanic Gardens and significant sporting facilities where surface construction would be either impossible or unacceptable (reference Figure 1). The shorter, 1.62 km west bound Domain tunnel comprises two cut and cover sections through Olympic Park then the Yarra River, the driven section of 0.68 km length and exits through a common cut and cover section with the east bound tunnel under St Kilda Road and Sturt Street. The longer 3.76 km east bound tunnel commences at the common portal, through cut and cover under St Kilda Road then 2.86 km of driven section before exiting at a cut and cover section at Burnley. The longer Burnley tunnel has an access and ventilation shaft at approximately its mid point.

Jan 1, 1999

By P Elliott, D Pershke

In a minerals processing context, sustainability is about using natural resources more efficiently to achieve maximum economic benefits with minimal environmental impacts. It embodies five overarching themes, which the paper will illustrate with practical examples from Australian minerals processing plants. These are:resource utilisation and materials efficiency,process waste reduction and enhancement of co-product values,reduction of water use and impacts,reduction of energy requirements and greenhouse gas emissions, andenhanced control of minor elements and toxic materials. Sustainability could be embedded profitably in minerals plant design in three dimensions: 1.technology,2.design, and3.operations. This presentation discusses a set of principles that could be applied to minerals processing technologies and provides an outline of sustainability assessment and opportunities evaluation tools. The application of the tools is illustrated through a case study by analysing a suite of nickel processing technology routes. The analysis reveals that current generation of nickel processing technologies do possess real potential to emerge as sustainability champions in integrated processing of nickel ores and concentrates, if they are designed, engineered, and operated for sustainability and adapted effectively to site specific constraints and opportunities. The paper will address data gaps and uncertainties regarding the impact of scaling up of pilot-plant performance, and provides strategies to overcome them.

Jan 1, 2006

By C Zhang, R Liang, I Canbulat, S Saydam, B Li

The integration of digital twins in mining represents a significant advancement towards enhancing operational efficiency and decision-making. Central to this development is the role of visualisation, a crucial element in mining digitalisation. This paper aims to develop a data-driven visualisation solution for the construction of mining digital twins, highlighting how this innovation revolutionises the representation of physical mining environments. It spotlights the shortcomings of conventional visualisation methods, particularly their inability to accurately depict complex underground environments and their predominantly historical orientation. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a novel, data-driven approach. This approach extensively utilises CAD files, encompassing data from geological surveys to intricate mine plans, thereby significantly elevating the precision of digital twins. It supports real-time updates and enables flexible interaction with a variety of data types. Moreover, it introduces a comprehensive data diagram alongside the adaptation of a 3D tile index. This strategy ensures the efficient rendering of extensive mining environments, allowing for a more dynamic and interactive digital twin model. In conclusion, the implementation of data-driven visualisation in the construction of mining digital twins marks a pivotal advancement in the industry’s digital transformation. It promises a more detailed, accurate, and dynamic depiction of mining operations.

Sep 1, 2024

Flue gases from electrical power station boilers, roasting, metallurgical and chemical plants could be treated by flotation using conventional flotation machines. The flue gases are introduced into the pulp instead of the air. The flotation media is a suspension of Ca(OH)2 or CaCO3 or a solution of NH4OH etc containing Na oleate as collector and frother. The SO2 and dust content of the initial flue gases were experimentally reduced by 100 to 1000 times in one flotation operation. The velocity of the flue gases through flotation machines could reach approximatively 0.4 to 0.5 m/s and more against 1.5 m/s reached in scrubber absorbers used for this purpose, but the quality of purification is expected to be better for flotation, which is essential for the cases of heavy polluted metallurgical and chemical flue gases. For some chemical plants the flue gases flotation media may be different and more suitable as compared to the above mentioned media. The proposed flotation method could be used for separation of dry grinded ores in the form of aerosols, with a realisation of flotation from a closed space (gas bubble in the pulp) onto the interface liquid-air where the particles are attached inside the bubbles.

Jan 1, 1993

By E J. Gardiner, C M. Hogan

Acidic drainage has long been recognised as the largest environmental liability facing the mining industry, and to a lesser extent, the public, through abandoned mines. The Canadian Mine Environment Neutral Drainage (MEND) initiative was the first international multi-stakeholder program to develop scientifically based technologies to reduce the effect of acidic drainage. The original MEND Program extended over a nine-year time frame ending in 1997, with technology transfer activities continuing to the end of year 2000 under the MEND 2000 program. Both programs have contributed enormously to the understanding of acidic drainage and how to prevent it. MEND3, launched in 2001, intends to further this effort with a strong, research-driven program. The successes of the MEND initiative have come through the collaborative efforts of the partners, the sharing of experiences, the thorough evaluation of technologies and their incremental improvements. As a result, the knowledge base on acidic drainage has grown considerably. An international model of alliance between the various worldwide initiative involved in acidic drainage is being formalised at this conference. This global alliance will enhance technology transfer capabilities and will lead to improved environmental performance for the industry. It is through collaboration that we have achieved the most progress in environmental performance, and this formal relationship will further expand these benefits.

Jan 1, 2003

By Aalbers J. P A

The State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) operates 13 excavators, 3 travelling stackers and 4 mobile slew conveyors in their three open cuts in the Latrobe Valley. The majority of these machines have been designed and constructed to a German design code current at the date of order. The SECV has always ensured that the machines were manufactured and erected to the appropriate standards. The SECV has a policy of having all machines inspected by an independent inspector every two years. These inspections are based on those carried out in Germany. The inspections have been carried out by inspectors from Germany who have the necessary experience to do similar work in German open cuts. Major faults found during the inspections have been repaired, however,the gradual breakdown of corrosion protection system has continued. The structures on some machines have areas of bad corrosion. This, coupled with wear on major mechanical equipment, would require an extensive outage to overhaul the machines. Refurbishment of Hazelwood Power Station will result in higher levels of production and extended life for the station. This will require improvement in the total output from Morwell Open Cut (MOC). To meet this increased coal demand, the open cut equipment will need to operate more efficiently and for a longer period of life.

Jan 1, 1989

The process of refurbishment is not a precisely defined one. It is under- stood to mean an upgrading of a plant which is normally performed only once. The application of refurbishment in the field of materials hand- ling equipment poses particular problems because complex plants con- sist of individual components having quite different remaining service lives. For this reason, a systematic, proven procedure is proposed for the refurbishment of large materials handling equipment, designed to ensure economic implementation in accordance with the company goals. Rheinbraun2 has been using materials handling equipment since 1900, the largest units today being bucket-wheel excavators with a daily capacity of 240,000 bank cubic metres of overburden and a service weight of up to 13,500 t (metric tons). Since 1975, more than 50 large-scale refurbish- ment projects have been carried out in the company. In the process, refur- bishment has turned out to be the proven alternative to replacement of large materials handling equipment. Rheinbraun Engineering,3 a Rhein- braun subsidiary, carries out planning, consulting, and supervising work in the implementation of refurbishment projects in Germany and abroad. The most recent example is the refurbishment of Dredger 11 of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria in cooperation with Krupp-Australia, Melbourne.

Jan 1, 1989

By D Alexander

For nearly 100 years, the flotation plant metallurgist has often wondered what is happening æbeneath the frothÆ. To assist in unravelling this mystery, new technology has been developed as part of the Australian Mineral Industries Research Association (AMIRA) P9 project, to measure gas dispersion characteristics (such as gas hold-up, superficial gas velocity and bubble size) in industrial flotation cells. These measurements have been conducted in a large number of cells of different types and sizes by researchers from the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) and JKTech. A large database has been developed and the contents of this database are described in this paper. Typical cell characterisation measurements show a wide spread in values, even in the same cell types and sizes performing similar duties. In conventional flotation cells, the typical gas hold-up values range from 3 - 20 per cent, bubble sizes range between 1 and 2 mm, and superficial gas velocity ranges from 1 to 2.5 cm/s. The ranges of cell characterisation measurements given in this paper will enable plant personnel to compare their operation to other similar types of operations from around Australia and the rest of the world, giving opportunities for further improvement to flotation plant operations.

Jan 1, 2005

By A Halim

The European Union (EU) have recently issued new Threshold Limit Value-Time Weighted Average (TLV-TWA) for diesel exhaust contaminants, which are CO, NO2 and DPM. The new limits for CO and NO2 were issued in 2017 whilst the one for DPM was issued in 2019. However, in order to allow EU mines to formulate strategies to comply with these new limits, the EU granted a transition period in which mines could use the old limits until the new limits are enforced. The new limit for CO and NO2 will be enforced from 21 August 2023 whilst the one for DPM will be enforced from 21 February 2026. The new limit for NO2 and DPM is very low, 0.5 ppm for NO2 and 0.05 mg/m3 of Elemental Carbon (EC) for DPM. Combination of these two limits would be the lowest among all mining jurisdictions worldwide. It poses a huge compliance challenge to EU mines if they keep using diesel machines. Therefore, a study and a field trial were carried out by the author in 2019–2021 to investigate whether replacing diesel machines with Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) would be the best answer to this challenge. This paper outlines results of this study and field trial.

Oct 12, 2022

Bureau of Medical Inspection, Broken Hill, New South Wales.INTRODUCTIONFor a considerable time it has be3n realised that the pathological changes produced in human lungs by the inhalation of free silica varied, not only according to the amount of silica inhaled, its particle size and the period during which it was inhaled, but also according to other mineral elements which might be admixed with the fine silica dust and inhaled along with it, or inhaled subsequently to the silica containing dust. It was observed that, in many instances, these admixed dusts tended to inhibit the action of the free silica in causing injury to the lungs, as well as the development of certain complications, whilst in other cases it was felt that certain substances could actually accelerate the tissue damage caused by the silica.A fresh impetus to the problem of the prevention of the development of silicosis was given when, in 1937 and 1939, Denny, Robson and Irwin published papers entitled "The Prevention of Silicosis by Metallic Aluminum." Working at the same time at the Saranac La.boratory, and quite independently, and using a colloidal aluminum hydroxide, Gardner arrived at the same conclusions as Denny, Robson and Irwin, namely, that in experimental animals the development of silicotic changes could be prevented if eithertogether with the silica, or subsequent to its inhalation...

Jan 1, 1946

While, in the past, a great deal of attention has been focussed on technical issues and the performance of explosives in rock, the explosive user, an essential link in the chain, has often been neglected. In the mining industry, too often, the benefits of excellent technical work have been degraded over time due to the lack of definitive and documented control. Using the principles of quality management a quality training system was developed and implemented for management of explosives use at Gunpowder Copper Ltd (GCL). This paper describes the structure of the system, its development and implementation, and contains practical advice and information for managers responsible for blasting and charge crews. The paper is in four parts: I Quality systems. A brief overview of the relevant aspects of total quality management that apply to explosives use. The requirements for documentation, management and auditing are explored. 2. Training for competency. The five essential elements of Competency Board Training (CBT) are examined, including auditing. 3. The Gunpowder Copper system. Implementation of the complete training system. Documentation and its control, auditing, instructions for operators, management responsibility and means of obtaining operator ownership are amongst the issues raised. Reporting requirements are the means to effectively manage change are described. 4. Summary. The paper concludes with the tangible benefits seen by Gunpowder Copper through the adoption of a quality training System.

Jan 1, 1995

A formalised approach to risk management has been regulated in the United Kingdom (UK) since the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 (CDM) came into force in 1995. These regulations have recently been revised in 2007. In response to a series of significant claims around the world the UK insurance industry published a code of practice for risk management of tunnels in 2003, and that was followed by an international version in 2006. Probably one of the main contributions of this new approach is the recognition that health and safety risks can best be addressed early in the process, initially by the owner and then by the designers. One of the aims is to achieve elimination of risks by good design. The advantage of a risk-based approach to tunnel design is that all risks are considered explicitly, and any residual risks in the design are communicated clearly to the construction team. This paper looks at the implementation of this formalised approach to risk management with reference to the A3 Hindhead Project. The design has been undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the CDM regulations, and also in compliance with the Joint Code of Practice for Risk Management of Tunnel Works in the UK. An outline of the risk-based design process used is provided, including examples.

Jan 1, 2008

THE power requirements of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company at Queenstown, Tasmania, have, since the inception of smelting operations in June, 1,,896, been derived continuously from the extensive forests in the watershed of the Queen River, adjacent to -the works, the firewood being of good quality, mainly composed of myrtle or beech (Fagus Ounninghami), eucalypts, and manuka (Leptospermum ericoides).The country is very rugged and mountainous, indented by numerous ravines and gullies, and intersected by many creeks, which are subject to periodical floods, under the influence of a heavy and persistent rainfall. The areas so far exploited aggregate a total of about 42 sq. 'miles, and this denuded country gives promise of ultimately becoming very valuable pastoral ground for cattle-raising. The tonnage of wood yielded per acre varies from 40 to 100 tons on stack measurement of 80 cub. ft. per ton, 60 tons per acre being considered a good average yield. The gross amount of firewood handled during the past 13 years approximates 1,200,000 tons, the greater portion of which has been obtained by ordinary tramming methods. The company's main line of railway, 3-ft. 6-in. gauge, has served as a trunk line for all supplies derived from the Queen River valley, south of the reduction works, while the northern and western areas have been exploited by means of...

Jan 1, 1911

By Regan R

Appin Colliery mines the Bulli Seam with a gas composition of 98.5% methane and 1.5% carbon dioxide. Relaxation of the strata generally occurs to below the base of the Wongawilli Seam, some 40 m below the Bulli Seam, and approxim- ately 125 m above the Bulli Seam, for longwall face widths of 135 m or more. Previous exper- ience showed that when longwall faces were mined for a distance approximately equal to the face width, the mine ventilation could not provide sufficient dilution due to methane emissions from the underlying measures. Postdraining downholes were drilled to intersect the Wongawilli Seam below the operat- ng longwall. These holes were connected to an underground to surface gas range and various suction levels were applied to improve gas drainage. The resulting gas flow rates and purity from all the downholes were regularly monitored and peak flows in some holes exceeded 160 1/sec. The surface plant drained almost 20 million m3 of gas for the period July 1981 to January 1982 at an average methane purity of approximately 70%. Distinct patterns emerged for different downholes from curves illustrat- ing their variations in flow rate with distance subsequent to passage of the longwall face. The difference between free flow characteristics and those obtained with the application of

Jan 1, 1982

Characterising the weight percentage of each mineral in base metal ores is an integral part of assessing the quality of an ore in terms of its processing properties. The Rietveld method, which uses X-ray diffraction data, has been applied to routinely quantify the minerals in lead/zinc and copper ores from Mount Isa Mines Limited and supergene copper ores from Ernest Henry Mining as well as their related products from the concentrators. The Rietveld method has been tested by comparing Rietveld mineral data with a standard sample with known mineral weight percentages and comparing Rietveld mineral data with mineral data calculated from elemental assays where the element only exists in one mineral such as lead in galena. Where this latter situation does not occur, the Rietveld method has been checked with both elemental and optical microscope data. In all cases, there is a good correspondence between the Rietveld data and the data it was checked against with absolute differences generally in the range of 0.5 to 3 wt per cent. The Rietveld method generally quantifies all minerals occurring over 1 wt per cent in one analysis and is less expensive and more routine compared to traditional methods such as optical microscope point counting. The Rietveld method can be applied to many stages of the mining cycle such as exploration, feasibility studies, mining, minerals processing and for environmental studies.

Jan 1, 1998

By O Kirtel, A A. Faizan

With the rapid increase and development of high-speed trains (HSTs), the problems such as train-induced ground vibration and its dynamic effects on nearby structures have become a major environmental concern in urban areas. Ground-born vibrations produced by high-speed trains pose a great challenge for engineers to build structures in such areas that is applicable for residents. In order to study the effect of train-induced ground vibration on nearby buildings, an advanced three-dimensional finite element model for train-induced ground vibrations has been developed using PLAXIS 3D Ultimate. The results of the in situ measurements which was previously carried out by the authors were used to validate the numerical model. The field test for ground vibration due to the passage of a high-speed train was carried out on the Istanbul-Ankara high-speed railway in Turkey with a train speed of 250 km/h. An in-depth analysis was achieved to investigate the effect of different soil properties on the train-induced ground vibrations by using the verified model. According to the result of the vibration analysis, the relative vibration response curves in all directions (x, y, z) for different soil conditions were obtained comparatively. The obtained results of the vibration analysis are discussed in order to figure out some useful conclusions.

Nov 29, 2022

IN the present paper it is the writer's intention to largely confine the subject-matter to details relating to the metallurgical practice in connection W,ith the blast roasting of lead ores at the Port PiJ;ie works of the Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty. Ltd. rather than to elaborate on mechanical plant details which are more or less standard equipment of the average Dwight and Lloyd or Huntington-Heberlein blast roasting installations (hereinafter referred to in the text as D. & L. and I.I. & H. respectively). The present blast roasting plant is a combination ot D. & L. straight line machines and IQ-ton H. & H. pots. The latter installation was an operating unit prior to the introduction of the D. & L. machines, the pre-roasting then being accomplished in Ropp roasting furnaces.On the introduction of the D. & L. machines the use of the Ropp roasting furnaces as a pre-roasting unit was discontinued, and this step of the process was then carried out on one section of the D. & L. installation.Consequently, then, the present plant consists of (1) A section of D. & L. machines, which operate solely as a pre-roastiIig unit. (2) A section of D. & L. machines which operate to their full capacity as 3, final roasting unit and treat the main portion of the pre-roasted material.

Jan 1, 1922

By N Ozawa, R Kaneko, M Arimit

The Mitsubishi Higashitani limestone mine is a ten million tonne per annum operation located near the city of Kitakyushu on JapanÆs western island of Kyushu. Higashitani is one of the largest limestone mines in Japan and accounts for about five per cent of national production. Blasting practices at the Higashitani mine involve the use of bagged ANFO, dynamite primers and non-electric detonators. Regulations in Japan prohibit the use of site mixed bulk explosives. Blast size is usually around 17 000 tonnes with 20 holes in a single row, two or three blasts are fired per day at a powder factor of between 0.25 and 0.32 kg/m3. As part of a program looking at oversize reduction Mitsubishi, Asahi and Orica agreed to conduct a joint project at the Higashitani mine to investigate the relationship between the powder factor and fragmentation. The first stage of the project was to benchmark the current blasting performance. Five blasts were monitored in each of the 210 (hard rock) and 220 (soft rock) areas of the mine. OricaÆs Powersieve« software was used to measure fragmentation and total rock breaker hours were also recorded for each blast. OricaÆs computer blasting simulation model Sabrex« was used to prepare revised blast designs with a higher powder factor and predict their performance. The performance of these blasts was monitored using the same methods.

Jan 1, 2004

By Bicer N

Current problems in predicting sub-surface strata movement and fracture development due to longwall mining have highlighted the need for more accurate, dependable methods of physical modelling of rock mechanics problems which are beyond the capabilities of current mathematical techniques. Physical model studies of the caved zone above the working faces up to the base of a water source are of importance in attempting to understand changes in mass permeability due to induced fracture zones and the resulting ground water conditions. Turkey's most important supplies of coking coals are to be found within the hard coal resources of the Black Sea coast. Coal seams up to 9 metres thick, dipping at angles as steep as 90 degrees are being successfully mined at the Kozlu Mine. Since 1956, mining operations have been carried out under the sea in dry conditions. The undersea mining conditions of the Kozlu Mine have been investigated using scaled physical models constructed from artificial materials which satisfied necessary scaling requirements. Models representing the in-situ conditions were tested and the following extraction sequence was employed: 1. The Sulu Seam extraction 2. The Acilik Seam extraction (as two slices) 3. The Piric Seam extraction. The displacement of the fixed reference points were subsequently measured using a high precision photogrammetric technique and induced horizontal and vertical strains were calculated.

Jan 1, 1988

By J R. Kyle

The Deep Mill Level Zone (DMLZ) skarn Cu-Au deposit is the deepest explored part of the Ertsberg East Skarn System extending from the surface at 4200 m elevation to the DMLZ at 2900 to 2600 m. The DMLZ is hosted in an upper Cretaceous to lower Tertiary siliciclastic and carbonate succession adjacent to the 3 Ma Ertsberg pluton. Much of the DMLZ ore is hosted by mixed assemblages of siliciclastic and dolomitised carbonate strata that have been altered to Mg-rich skarn assemblages. Unaltered equivalent strata from a 300 m cored interval in the Yellow Valley Syncline were characterised petrographically and representative samples were analysed for major element compositions. These stratigraphic and chemical units are interpreted to be responsible for the varying skarn lithologies within the DMLZ. The dominant prograde skarn assemblages are controlled by protolith composition, notably the relative abundance of quartz, dolomite, and calcite within the protolith. Models based on isochemical metamorphism of mixed assemblages of quartz and dolomite suggest that the formation of the forsterite-diopside dominant skarn assemblages resulted in the greatest amount of pore space increase. DMLZ Cu-Au concentrations were locally controlled by host lithology, with structural features providing fluid pathways that focused the mineralising fluids. An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation.

Jan 1, 2008