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By M. Guney, A. R. Bell

In Mindola mine on the Zambian Copperbelt, there is a plan to extend the current production level of 1.2-1.5 km (3,900-4,900 ft) with five additional production levels. Research work indicated that the present total heat output of 38.6 MW will inevitably increase to 63.2 MW in 25 years. Estimated WB and DB temperatures, representing the total heat generation in stope faces and development headings during these same periods are predicted to increase to 33.8/40.2°C (93/104°F) and 35.3142.10C (95/108°F) respectively. It is assessed that the nominal refrigeration capacity needs to be progressively increased to 9, 000 MW.

Jan 3, 1984

The contiguous Kotre Basantpur and Pachmo (KBP) coal blocks in the Hazaribagh District of Jharkhand State in east India are being developed by Tata Steel Limited (Tata Steel) to supply coking coal to a new steel mill at Kalinganagar in Orissa.The planning challenges are many. The multiple coal seams range in thickness up to 6 m and extend to nearly 500 m depth, with dips up to 25¦ and highly variable quality. Several normal faults with throws up to 150 m intersect the deposit. There is little room for waste dumping on the lease, several large nalas (seasonal creeks) cross the blocks, and the KBP leases are not contiguous with Tata Steel's existing mining operations at West Bokaro. Geotechnical conditions, while not well defined at this stage, are largely unfavourable. There are several villages on the blocks, and extensive paddy fields. In 2009, Adelaide Mining Consultants Pty Ltd (AMC) completed a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a production level of 8 Mt/a. A terrace mining system was proposed using 28 m3 hydraulic excavators and 185 t trucks working horizontal up-dip slices. Subsequently the viability of in-pit crushing and conveying was assessed, but the full results were not available for this paper.It is planned to extract a total of 147 Mt of raw coal at a strip ratio of 5.2 bank cubic metres per tonne (bcm/t). The planned maximum pit depth is over 300 m.The project includes a washery, a 2 + 25 MW fluidised bed power station to utilise all the coarse washery rejects, and a railway spur line to carry the washed coal to the railhead some 7 km distant.

Dec 6, 2010

By k. Osei-Boakye

This paper presents the calibration of a real-time aerosol monitor, the TSI DustTrak?, to the NIOSH 5040 method being used by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for compliance enforcement evaluation. The standard NIOSH 5040 instrument for compliance evaluation of diesel particulate matter (DPM) has an inherent time lag of up to two weeks for laboratory processing of sample results. Therefore, providing the underground mines with a means of quantifying DPM conditions in real-time, will enable them to efficiently and effectively manage DPM levels to ensure compliance with the regulated limit.

Jan 1, 2009

By William R. Yernberg

The Mineral Processing Plant Design, Practice and Control Conference was held from Oct. 20through 24, 2002, at the Fairmont Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The conference was attended by nearly 400 of the world’s top mineral-processing specialists, including plant-design engineers, mineral-processing consultants, academics, suppliers and equipment manufacturers. The meeting was sponsored by SME and cosponsored by the Canadian Mineral Processing Division of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM). The conference covered all aspects of mineral-processing design, construction and operation. The meeting included more than 130 technical presentations. Topics included sampling programs, feasibility studies, design criteria, process technologies, construction, start-up operations and shutdowns. To stimulate interaction and discussion throughout the five-day conference, the sessions were presented consecutively. Attendees had the opportunity to attend every session.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. Grignon, C. Fleming

It is possible to reproduce the performance of an operating CIP or CIL plant in the laboratory, in small scale batch kinetic tests, coupled with mathematical models that translate kinetic data into predicted steady state gold profiles across multi-stage adsorption circuits. Once the performance of the commercial plant has been mimicked by the model, the plant operating parameters can be varied systematically in the model, and the likely response of the plant to the step wise change can be determined. In this way it is possible to inexpensively optimize the operating conditions of an existing plant, with no disruption to plant operations and no economic risk to the mining company. This approach had been adopted by IAMGOLD to optimize the performance of their Rosebel CIL plant following several major expansions in mill capacity since 2004.

Jan 1, 2011

By Harris J. W

The treatment plant at The Great Boulder Proprietary Gold Mines Limited was designed and erected by Chas. Ruwolt Proprietary Limited in 1934 to mill 12,000 short tons per month. The flow sheet called for fine grinding, straking, flotation, roasting of the flotation concentrates and cyanidation of the resulting calcine.In 1937 considerable alterations and additions were made to the plant. The grindin,g section was duplicated with addition of two 8 ft. x 6 ft. Abco Ball Mills to increase the throughput to 28,000 tons per month, and the flow sheet was changed from "straight flotation" to "precyanidation and flotation" neeessitating the addition of thickeners, agitators, Oliver filters and Edwards roasters.A further change to the flow sheet was made in 1942 with the introduction of sulphur dioxide conditioning ahead of the flotation section, to permit the treatment of 500,000 tons of oxidised ore. Since that date no major alterations were made to the flow sheet or equipment until 1950, when the modifications set out in this paper were commenced with the object of reducing costs and increasing plant efficiency.These modifications are dealt with under the section headings and are therefore not necessarily in chronological order.CRUSHING SECTIONThere has been no material alteration in this section although at the time of writing a 650 ton capacity ore bin is being erected ahead of the primary Jaques crusher. This bin will reduc'e the crushing time from a three shift to a two shift basis and reduce the labour force required by two men, giving an annual saving of £2,000.FINE GRINDING SECTIONAlterations to the grinding section were commenced in 1950. Prior to this date the grinding flow sheet calle...

Jan 1, 1955

By Larry S. Diaz

The paper considers the selection of control instrumentation for a modern flotation plant, as well as the best interpretation and most effective use of the process data obtained. Process control computer availability is considered from the outset. A general philosophy of control is proposed which leads toward a system that is its own reliability monitor. The bulk of the problems are in grinding and classification. Alternative control methods are described that use particle size measuring devices. Flotation controls, based to a large extent upon on-stream X-ray analysis, are reviewed in detail. Reagent control methods are also examined. Methods to analyze the data obtained from the various measurement devices are introduced. These methods would enable an estimate of the validity of the data and require some redundant information. Another objective of these methods is the protection of operating equipment from possible control malfunctions. Although the discussion generally considers some degree of computer usage, this paper attempts to describe instrumentation and data analysis methods that enable control with or without the process control computer.

Jan 1, 1972

By K Pery, J Leahy

Established metallurgical plants operate in a complex environment of interdependent drivers including technology change, operating and maintenance practice, evolving markets, HSEC requirements, statutory and plant requirements, personnel turnover, ore supply, and financial conditions, to name a few. A successful optimisation program should comprehend these factors and drive towards not only lower operating costs, but also higher rates of return for a given level of investment. Optimisation programs have the potential for very high rates of return on capital that Greenfield projects rarely have. This paper presents a robust strategy and methodology for plant optimisation initiatives as well as a case study of how it was implemented at the QNI Yabulu refinery in Queensland, Australia by an integrated team of researchers, engineers and operators. The methodology is premised on the fact that nobody knows the production asset as well as the current operating team. It covers the optimisation process from ideas generation, various stages of selection against the agreed criteria, development, including testwork, funding approval and implementation. It highlights the benefits in the use of integrated teams, the establishment of a sound project basis, and a diligent, phased approach.

Jan 1, 2004

By Norman O. Lotter, Dominic Fragomeni, Lori J. Kormos, Guy Comeau, Antonio Di Feo

"A performance opportunity was identified for the Raglan concentrator operation by changing the selection of xanthate from Potassium Amyl Xanthate (PAX) to Potassium Isobutyl Xanthate (PIBX). This opportunity was identified by a Statistical Benchmark Survey of the operation and QEMSCAN measurement of these survey samples, in which fine liberated pentlandite was found in the final tailings. This was confirmed by some laboratory scale flotation testwork using High- Confidence Flotation Testing. A statistically designed plant trial was implemented in 2007 to measure and confirm the performance gain. This trial design used on-off switching following a three-month reference distribution of normal operations using PAX. This layout provided both external and internal reference distributions on PAX to be established. These were used to evaluate the internal reference distributions on PIBX. This trial format was deliberately designed so as to block out the effects of autocorrelation in the operations data. In this way, small but significant metal recovery gains may be measured and proven in a plant trial. The paper describes the case study to show that this approach successfully blocks out autocorrelation in time, which is an obstacle in analysing concentrator operations data. The results showed that the PIBX had produced clear and statistically significant recovery gains for Ni, Cu, Pt and Pd. Adjusted for feed and concentrate grades, these recovery gains were: Ni: 1.00, Cu: 0.96, Pt: 5.07 and Pd: 1.90%.INTRODUCTIONConcentrator OperationsMilling and flotation, sometimes accompanied by gravity separation, are well-established unit processes. These have traditionally been used to treat ore that has been mined, producing a lowbulk concentrate containing a high percentage of the paymetal(s) in the ore mined. These concentrates are more economically treated in subsequent beneficiation processes than the ore from which they were produced.This choice of a concentration process results in a significant and variable paymetal loss to the concentrator tailing. This tailing is discarded and disposed of in an impoundment area, and has no immediate business use. This paymetal loss forms the largest loss of paymetal in the entire flowsheet by which refined, or saleable, metal(s) are produced [Cramer, 2001]. The question arises as to whether any particular concentrator is performing at its full potential, and how this answer may be determined. In a concentrator operation, there is always an ongoing performance improvement programme for this reason."

Jan 1, 2009

By Magued G. Iskander

The deterioration of concrete, steel, and timber is a serious hindrance to construction in marine and corrosive environments. Composite materials such as fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) can offer performance advantages for construction in these environments. In the last decade, piling made of FRP composites has been used experimentally throughout North America. However, composites face obstacles because they do not have a long track-record of use in civil engineering structures. A comprehensive review of the current experience in research, testing, design, and practice of composite piling is presented in this paper.

Jan 1, 2002

By S. Christiansen, G. R. Winslow, R. W. Kobler

Todays End of Life vehicles are shredded and their metal components recovered and recycled by standard methods. The remaining non-metallic fraction is shredder residue, and contains vast amounts of high value engineering plastics. None are today recovered. Discussed are the developmental approaches used in the first process to recover these valuable plastics. Examined are initial laboratory studies, pilot plant design and construction, product development, results, and flowchart explanations.

Jan 1, 2001

By S C. Dominy

This contribution examines the effect of feedstock sampling before the sorting stage of polyethylene terephtalate (PET) bottle recycling. Batches of waste PET bottles may contain non-PET bottles which need to be removed by sorting. Any residual presence of PVC is detrimental for the quality of products manufactured from recycled PET. The maximum tolerated concentration of PVC in cleaned PET is extremely low, which places high demands on the recovery of PVC achieved by sorting. To be confident of attaining the desired PET quality after sorting, acceptance sampling of truckloads of PET bottles may take place prior to sorting. It is shown that accounting for sampling uncertainty requires that the sorting process achieves a consistently high recovery of PVC bottles.CITATION:Glass, H J and Dominy, S C, 2017. Plastics recycling and sampling, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending , pp 129–134 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2017

By Hui Yongning

This paper presents a simulating test of constitutive relation of soil anchor in laboratory and puts forward a new plastoelastic mechanical model, on which a new calculating formula of elastic and plastic limit bearing capacity for soil anchor is suggested and two engineering projects verify that this method is adaptable.

Jan 1, 1991

By D. F. Strong

Most Newfoundland. mineral deposits can be clearly classified as within rocks formed either as accreting plate margins (ophiolitic pyrite-chalcopyrite massive sulfides such as Betts Cove, Whalesback, York Harbour, chromite at Lewis Hills, and asbestos at Baie Verte), at consuming plate margins (Kuroko-type polymetallic massive sulfides such as Buchans and Pilleys Island, porphyry-type Mo-Cu at Rencontre, fluorite at St. Lawrence), or within plates (zinc deposits at Daniels Harbour, sedimentary iron ores at Wabana, manganese in Conception Bay.) As these metallogenic patterns can be convincingly extrapolated southward into the Appalachians and northward to the Caledonides, they provide an important means of eliminating and selecting areas for particular exploration targets. Sonic criteria are described for the recognition of these environments of differing economic potential.

Jan 1, 1973

By W G. Szymczak, Leslie C. Taylor

The University of Maryland (UMD) has conducted a series of small-scale tests using explosive charges buried in saturated sand. Twelve different combinations of depth of burial of the charge and height of the target plate above the soil were tested. The target plates did not deform plastically. High-speed video was used to track the motion of the plate. The video data are analyzed to determine the position and velocity of the plate as a function of time. The results of this analysis are compared with computations performed at NRL using the BUB2D computer code. This code treats the saturated sand as an incompressible visco-plastic fluid which yields according to a Drucker-Prager (frictional-cohesive) yield surface. Comparisons of simulations with experiments are presented. In the cases examined so far, the velocity grows very quickly to a peak and then slows, first with a deceleration greater than one “g,” which then transitions to an approximately one “g” deceleration. An analysis of air drag on the plates has shown that its effect is negligible in the time span of interest. In all cases in which the BUB2D code can be applied, the computations compare favorably with the results of the data analysis. This suggests that the code and model used in the computation are properly capturing the physics of the interaction between the soil and a non-deforming plate.

Jan 1, 2007

By G Ma, L Qi, J G. Shellnutt

"An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation. The Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP) of SW China is host to magmatic Ni–Cu–(PGE) sulfide and Fe–Ti–V oxide deposits which contain economic to subeconomic concentrations of precious and base metals. The formation of a given deposit-type (ie sulfide versus oxide) is thought to be related to the type of parental magma (ie high-Ti versus low-Ti) and the subsequent processes (ie fractional crystallisation and sulfide segregation), which allowed for metal enrichment.We examined the PGE of Baima and Taihe oxide-bearing layered mafic intrusions from the ELIP (Shellnutt, Ma and Qi, in press), and compared them with the nearby Xinjie and Hongge intrusions as well as with the Emeishan flood basalts. The PGE results for the two intrusions are contrasting. The Baima gabbroic rocks are almost PGE-barren (SPGE < 4 ppb) whereas the Taihe gabbroic rocks are variable, but generally much higher in PGE concentrations (SPGE < 2 to ~300 ppb), although the gabbros from both intrusions are enriched in platinum-subgroup PGE (PPGE = Rh, Pt and Pd) relative to iridium-subgroup PGE (IPGE = Os, Ir and Ru). Cu/Zr, Ni/Ir, Y/Pt, Cu/Pd and Ni/Ir systematics suggest that the Baima rocks were derived from a relatively evolved, mafic, S-undersaturated parental magma that was affected by earlier sulfide segregation. In contrast, the Taihe rocks record evidence of both S-saturated and S-undersaturated conditions and that the parental magma was likely emplaced very close to S-saturation. Through comparison of the PGE contents in the Emeishan flood basalts and the Emeishan oxide-bearing intrusions, we provide a self-consistent model for ELIP that the PGE budget in a magma is not strictly controlled by magma series (high-Ti versus low-Ti), but very much by crustal contamination.CITATION:Ma, G, Shellnutt, J G and Qi, L, 2015. Platinum group elements in the Baima and Taihe Fe-Ti oxide-bearing gabbroic intrusions of emeishan large igneous province and problems on propensity of magma series for sulfide- versus oxide-dominated deposit types, in Proceedings PACRIM 2015 Congress, pp 303–310 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 18, 2015

By W Akpan

The Royal Bafokeng community in South AfricaÆs North West Province represents a unique case in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of its positioning in the natural resource economy. It receives royalties directly from mining firms for the extraction of Platinum Group Metals, which include platinum, ferrochrome, rhodium and palladium. In 2007, royalty income of about R290 million (approximately US$32.2 million) was reported. Such direct revenues have enabled the community to invest in educational, medical and other social infrastructure, thus complementing governmentÆs social provisioning efforts. Indeed, the Bafokeng community owes its present-day modernisation efforts to mineral rights, and in particular, the legal-institutional arrangement that has enabled it to play an active role in South AfricaÆs lucrative extractive economy. However, the distribution of platinum wealth in this community is not only uneven, but also appears to have had little impact on the broader socio-economic conditions in the community. Despite claims by community leaders of heavy investment in education and skills development, the community continues to be faced with very high levels of unemployment, illiteracy, sprawling informal settlements, poor access to medical facilities and malnutrition. This paper examines the sociological paradoxes and contradictions thrown up by the approach adopted to involve community members in the mobilisation of mining royalties for developmental ends. The central argument is that the current æmodelÆ contradicts the communityÆs stated goals of using platinum wealth to drive up broad-based development and modernisation. This is mainly because it leaves out the vast majority of community members, who are uneducated and unskilled. The core analysis is based on pilot data from an ongoing study in the Royal Bafokeng community.

Jan 1, 2009

By O. R. Eckstrand, M. Asif, P. L. Schwann, A. J. Naldrett, R. J. F. Scoates

Paper presented at the IAGOD international symposium on mineralisation related to mafic and ultramafic rocks, held in Orleans, France, 1-3 September 1993. PGE-bearing sulphide mineralisation is contained in the lower 600 m of the Upper Central Layered Zone of the intrusion. There are four regimes with distinctive crystallisation characteristics. PGE content is low, both in bulk rock and in terms of metal in 100% sulphides, in the sulphide-rich cumulates but increases sharply in the sulphide-poor cumulates at the base of regime 1. Increases in regime 2 have no such clear relationship with incoming cumulus sulphides. PGE contents are low throughout regime 3, but regime 4 has sulphides with high PGE content, decreasing rapidly upwards, at the base of many of its cyclic units. The observations are interpreted as indicating that sulphide saturation occurred in the middle of a cyclic unit in regime 1, after which fractional segregation of sulphide caused a systematic decrease in PGE content. The resulting contrast between 40 000 ppb PGE in sulphides below the mineralised zone and less than 1 000 ppb above is of practical importance in exploration for such zones. In regime 2 the magma chamber was open to fresh influxes and PGE content was not so sensitive to sulphide saturation. In many regime 4 units influxes of new magma caused immediate sulphide saturation and PGE depletion, so that PGE-rich cumulates do not underlie PGE-bearing sulphide zones. Theoretical analysis indicates that regime 1-type behaviour is likely to characterise intrusions below the level at which plagioclase has entered as a cumulus phase and regime 4-type behaviour above

Apr 1, 1994

By D. Fray

Electrochemical processing using molten electrolytes is undergoing a considerable renaissance due to several innovative ideas being explored both in the laboratory and also at the pilot scale. Several of these new ideas are related to developments in energy generation and storage and involve solid electrolytes. Sodium has been prepared by the electrolysis of sodium carbonate or sodium hydroxide with the transfer of sodium ions through a sodium beta" alumina membrane and magnesium oxide dissociated by the removal of the oxygen through a stabilized zirconiaelectrolyte incorporating a fuel cell electrode. By using halides with highly electropositive cations, such as molten calcium chloride, it has been found that the favoured cathodic reaction, when oxygen is present, is the ionization of oxygen and not the deposition of calcium. This approach has been applied to the reduction of many metal oxides including titanium, zirconium, niobium and rare earth oxides and, by using a mixture of oxides as the cathode, homogeneous alloys are produced. This concept can also be applied to deoxidation of solid and liquid metals. Refining of metals is possible using intercalation compounds and, in a completely different application, it has-been found that, by intercalating alkali metals by electrolysis of alkali halides into graphite, it is possible to produce carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles. The technological opportunities of these various concepts will be discussed.

Jan 1, 2004

By Carl Havemann

[PAPER PRESENTED AT THE 8thINTERNATIONAL CORROSION CONFERENCE HELD AT THE SA NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, SAXONWOLD JOHANNESBURG DURING 14-15 NOVEMBER, 2006.]

Jan 1, 2006