Search Documents

By Andreas Rohrhofer

Reliable high end automation and process optimization systems are main factors for excellent product quality, safe operation and maximized plant performance in the steel industry and its designated environmental plants. Primetals Technologies introduces new automation packages for consequent safe and cost efficient production. Many areas within the steelplant interested to be monitored and measured automatically are not implemented in the automation system due to limited access or technical reasons. A wireless, self-organizing network facilitates wide ranging data transmission in previously inaccessible areas and opens up a wide range of new opportunities. With Fluid Guard a system to detect leakages with highest accuracy and reacts properly for all kind of water cooled circuits is available, improving the safety in steelmaking process. Lance Guard can be utilized for all fully automatic and semi-automatic lance appliances, but is especially suitable for the products of Primetals Sublance Standard/2.0 and LiquiRob applications, since these systems make seamless integration particularly simple. Manual lance appliances may also be tested and diagnosed. Environmental plants have become a main part in steelmaking plants. Highest performance in combination with optimized energy consumption is the main target in Primetals Technologies’ innovations in automation optimization packages for dedusting systems. A new approach for preventive maintenance and operator assistance is introduced with the Acoustic Expert System. In combination with the new Ask cloud based system, Primetals enables a 24/7 monitoring and a whole lifetime observation of any equipment within a steelplant. Furthermore it is now enabled to check the condition of the plant at a fingertip at any time.

Aug 17, 2017

By N. S. Wagner

The production of lightweight aggregates in Oregon is a new industry, and, like all new enterprises, it is suffering from growing pains characterized by numerous, small operations some of which flourish for a short time and then cease altogether. Normally all industrial mineral products are produced in a highly competitive atmosphere. At the present time this condition does not exist to a very marked degree in the state because as yet producers have not saturated the constantly expanding market. This paper has been prepared with the intention of outlining very briefly the current status of the various products now being used as lightweight aggregates in Oregon. The present picture will surely change, perhaps quite radically within even a short space of time.

Jan 1, 1949

By Thomas, J. Elmer

WHEN the price of crude oil was advanced on July 26, 1928, with some 4,000,000 bbl. daily of potential production shut in under proration regulations, and with as much more new production shortly available from semi-proved undrilled reserves, students of the oil industry were made to realize that a new order of things now prevailed in petroleum economics. A new interpretation of the law of supply and demand had taken the place of the archaic method of influencing current production by changing crude price levels. Proration had caused the change. The long period of over-production just experienced, the prospects of a potential over-supply far into the future, had set up certain forces which brought about some fundamental changes. Their cause, effect and future influence can best be developed by a detailed study of the history of the period since war-time regulation

Jan 1, 1928

By James S. Grichar

Interest in mergers in the nonfuel mineral industry developed when 5 were listed among the 50 highest valued mergers in the United States in 1981. This report presents a Bureau of Mines study of trends in merger activity from 1960 to 1979 and explores motives for mergers in the nonfuel mining and mineral industry. The objective was to determine precedent for or a trend toward the 1981 acceleration in merger activity and to examine certain financial motives for non fuel mineral mergers. Data indicate that the relative value of non fuel mineral mergers has grown since 1972 although the number of mergers has remained proportionate to historical trends for all mergers. Since 1974, the assets acquired in "large," nonfuel mineral firm mergers, those of $10 million or more, have comprised at least 93 pct of assets acquired. More nonfuel mineral firm mergers involved mineral companies as the acquiring firm than vice versa but mining and minerals firms acquired were of higher value than nonmining firms. A major motivation for mergers involving large mineral firms was the acquisition of assets at less than replacement costs. Univariate statistical testing, a methodology chosen for its applicability to the data, confirms this hypothesis while rejecting other financial motives. The remainder of the work is devoted to a discussion of suggested areas for future study.

Jan 1, 1984

By W. S. Landers

Nine high-volatile bituminous Utah coals were carbonized singly and in blends with low-and medium-volatile bituminous coals. Of the 9 coals, 2 are in commercial use as the base coals in blends that produce industrially accept-able metallurgical coke, while 7 are regarded as weakly coking and are not used commercially in coking blends. The carbonization tests were made in a la-inch diameter, cylindrical retort, using 50-pound charges. Sunnyside coal blended with autogenous char generally produced larger and stronger coke than was yielded by straight Sunnyside coal. The volatile matter of the char and the concentration of the char in the blend appear to be important parameters influencing coke size and strength. A blend of 10 per-cent autogenous char of 7.2-percent volatile matter with Sunnyside coal yielded coke that was larger, stronger, and of higher apparent specific gravity than coke produced from an industrial coke oven blend consisting of 15 percent medium-volatile coal and 85 percent Sunnyside coal.

Jan 1, 1967

By D. R. Spink

An historical background is presented to provide a basis for the lack of normally expected developmental effort over the first 20-25 years of viable zirconium production operations. This is followed by a description of developing technology, which is the result of years of research and piloting effort directed to the development of a more economical method to produce high-grade metallic zirconium. It is predicted that many of the process improvements described will have a significant impact on future zirconium production methods and consequently on future prices and markets.

Jan 1, 1977

By Steve W. Ciccone

The Red Dog Mine is both the largest known zinc reserve and the largest zinc producer in the world. The mine started in 1989, and by 1999 had increased production from approximately 300,000 tonnes per year (t/yr) of zinc concentrate to in excess of 900,000 t/yr. The VIP Mill Optimization Project further increased zinc concentrate production to 1.1M t/yr while improving both product quality and zinc recovery. The Mill Optimization project also addressed a number of issues related to risk reduction: power generation capacity, water treatment capacity and concentrate thickening. The project was faced with numerous challenges, the most daunting of which was the schedule. This US$105M project was executed, from conception to completion, inside of two years. Less than nine months elapsed from concept to delivery of materials and equipment to site. The project also faced a 100-day icefree shipping window, the challenges of construction in an Arctic environment, and an extremely tight labour market for qualified craft personnel. These challenges were successfully addressed with several innovative approaches to project execution, including an Alliance contracting arrangement between the owner, engineer and contractor; full integration of the team; construction of modules in Anchorage; and fast-track engineering, procurement and construction. Steve Ciccone, AMEC?s project manager on the Mill Optimization project, works for the Mining & Metals unit of AMEC, a world leader in the provision of engineering and construction services. He obtained his BASc from the University of British Columbia and is currently midway through his MBA program at Simon Fraser University. Steve has 15 years of experience providing engineering and project management services on mining and metals projects, and has been involved in the execution of five capital projects and several studies at Red Dog since 1995. George Hope was responsible for process design and engineering on the Mill Optimization project and has been Manager, Project Development at Teck Cominco since 1995. Prior to this time, he was a project manager and chief metallurgist for Lac Minerals for 14 years and a mill superintendent and metallurgist for Noranda for 5 years. George received his BSc in Mineral Technology from the Royal School of Mines in England.

May 1, 2002

By John W. White

Anthracite mine refuse, or culm dump material as it is sometimes called, is the waste material resulting from the sizing and cleaning of run-of-mine deep and strip-mined anthracite coal. It may also contain mine rock, carbonaceous shale, pyrite, and other debris from mining operations. This material is generally stored in piles or banks, some of which are over 100 years old. Many of the older banks contain a considerable amount of good coal, particularly in the finer size ranges, since these sizes did not have any particular economic value in the early days of anthracite mining. Today, the refuse material from a cleaning operation must be piled in an orderly fashion and in such a way as to minimize the tendency to ignite. There are well over 400 of these banks in the anthracite region containing over 1100 million tons of refuse located in the north-eastern part of Pennsylvania. The banks range in size from a few thousand tons of material up to as much as 13 million tons. Most of

Jan 1, 1972

By D. D. Bell

This paper presents the history of uranium procurement and demand, and takes a look at future requirements. The three basic conclusions drawn are: (1) the productive capacity of former and existing producers whose operations may be profitably reactivated is insufficient to meet demand projected beyond 1975; (2) reserves in the $5 -$10 price range do not provide the flexibility to sustain production at the high rates required in the late 1970's; and (3) only higher prices can overcome these deficiencies, as this would provide sufficient inducement for the industry to explore for and develop new reserves and productive capacity.

Jan 1, 1967

By W. N. Marchant

The Bureau of Mines performed chemical research to elaborate details of sulfur chemistry pertaining to the citrate flue gas desulfurization process in which sulfur dioxide (SO2), absorbed (as bisulfite ion) in a buffered sodium citrate solution, is reduced by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) according to the overall reaction 2H2S + HSO3 + H+ ? 3S + 3H20. The rate-limiting step in the process was shown to be the reduction by H2S of thiosulfate (S2031-) that is formed as an intermediate. Pseudo first-order kinetic measurements were made at room temperature to retard the reaction sufficiently that adequate analysis was possible. These measurements showed the rates of the following net processes to be -d [S02]/dt (pH 4.5) = (0.409±0.050)min-1 [S02]; d [S2032-]/dt (pH 4.5) = (0.199±0.017)min-1 [S02]; -d [S2032-]/dt (pH 4.0) = (0.0437±0.0265)min-1 [S2032-]~1; -dH2S/dt (pH 3.9) = (21.6±3.0) mmoles/min-atm [H2S]g1.4, where [H2S]g is the partial pressure of H2S in the gas phase, in atmospheres, and the rate describes the consumption of H2S, in millimoles per minute; d[S]/dt (pH 4.0) = (38.0±3.4)min-1 [H2S]1, where [H2S] is the concentration of H2S in solution. Hydrogen ion consumption during the slow phase of regeneration was shown to occur at (2.1±0.5) times he rate of thiosulfate consumption, which is interpreted as evidence for the following as the rate-limiting reaction: 2H2S + S2032- + 2H+ ? 4S + 3H20 A scheme consisting of five sequential general reactions is proposed to account for sulfur formation.

Jan 1, 1981

By O. W. Ellis

Introduction During the month of September, 1928 enough money had. been promised by private individuals and corporations to comply with the Research ?Foundation Act 1928 (Chapter 57, 18 George V) of the Province of Ontario. The Ontario Research Foundation (referred to below as O.R.F.) may be said to 1iave come into being at that time. Under the terms of this Act, the Treasurer of the Province was empowered to match dollar for dollar of the sums subscribed by private .corporations and individuals up to a limit of $1,000,000. However, the response to the appeal for this by the Premier of the Province, the Honourable Mr. G. Howard Ferg uson, was so exceptional that the Act was amended in 1929 so as to empower the Treasurer to increase the maximum contribution on the part of the Province to $2,500,000. In March, 1933, the Chairman of the Foundation, Sir Joseph Flaville, Bart., was able to report that, in the interval between the Premier's appeal and December 1st, 1932, private enterprise had paid ?into the treasury of the Foundation $1,670,050, and that the Provincial Treasurer had assumed responsibility for a like sum. The endownment Fund of the Foundation was, therefore. $3,340,100. This sum was ?invested a lm~ s t entirely in Government securities, in securities guar. anteed by the Government, and in 1mmicipal securities. Sir Joseph Flavelle remarked at that time that "The payment of $1,670,050 to the Endowment of the Foundation by private persons and corporations is a somewhat remarkable performance when it is remembered that for three of the five years the business of the country has been suffering from a severe depression". Since that time it has been the consistent policy of O.R.F. to live within the income derived (1) from the investment of its Endowment Fund and (2) from fees collected for services rendered.

Jan 1, 1950

"Option pricing is used in finance for valuing options to buy (or sell) shares at some future date because it provides a convenient framework for quantifying values subject to uncertainty. As one of the main sources of uncertainty in mining is the price (sales) of the metal, this approach can also be used for valuing mining projects.The first part of this paper reviews options and option pricing; the second part presents the approach developed by Brennan and Schwartz (1985) for using option pricing to value natural resources. Several applications of this methodology have been published; these are described. From a mining point of view, the assumptions made by Brennan and Schwartz are too simplistic. The weaknesses are discussed with a view to improving an apparently promising new way of assessing the value of projects. IntroductionThe collapse of the British merchant banking group, Barings, has highlighted the risks that can be incurred by speculators and arbitragers in the futures and options markets. But this negative attention on futures and options should not make us forget their positive aspects. They can provide producers and consumers of metals with more predictable sales prices. The introduction of the new traded average price options, TAPOS, by the London Metal Exchange in January 1997 is a response to this need. Equally important, the theory that the finance industry has developed for valuing options provides an interesting framework for valuing mineral projects as well. While this paper was being revised, the South African gold mining house, JCI, announced that it was using a methodology based on option pricing for valuing the mineral rights to deeplevel gold resources (see Box 1)."

Jan 1, 1997

By Euclid P. Worden

In 1977, an article in World Mining (1) reported a total of 2726 rotary blast hole drills in service. This figure included only those machines produced by three of the manufacturers building drills of this type. The total, therefore, is much higher: Rotary drilling in the mining industry is big business to the manufacturers and suppliers involved, and a significant cost item, to mine operators. The time has come to take a hard look at rotary drilling technology with an eye to re¬ducing costs by increasing drilling efficiency. The efficiency of any rotary drilling operation is measured in terms of the rate of penetration achieved by the bit. In blast hole drilling, five factors affect the rate of penetration. They are: 1. Bit selection 2. Weight on the bit 3. Rotary speed 4. Hole cleaning 5. Formation properties Of these factors, all but one may be control¬led by the operator. Looking at any one in detail may reveal possible improvements in the system. Cleaning the hole is a good place to start. In order for a bit to perform at its maximum capability, each tooth or insert should strike fresh, clean rock as it falls into its drilling position. If the tooth or insert lands on previously drilled cuttings, a major portion of the energy delivered to the bit is absorbed in re drilling this broken material. A major portion of the interest, therefore, should be directed to the proper cleaning of the bottom of the hole.

Jan 1, 1979

By K. C. Marsden, B. Pesic

"Interest in the efficient production and recycling of rare earth elements has increased in recent years along with the prices of these elements. The molten LiCl-KCl eutectic is one ionic solvent which can be utilized for these purposes. The LiCl-KCl eutectic has also been selected as the electrolyte for focused research for advanced pyrochemical recycling processes for used nuclear fuel in several nations. Rare earth elements are fission products with notable neutron absorption characteristics, and thorough understanding of the properties and behavior of these elements is critical to their successful partition from the electrochemically-similar actinide elements. The number of research papers investigating individual rare earth elements has greatly expanded in the approximately 35 years since the last review. These research papers are presented in a variety of languages and technical formats, making data difficult to compare, and are sometimes contradictory. A review and summary of diffusion properties of rare earths in LiCl-KCl eutectic was performed, and the data translated to a common format for evaluation. INTRODUCTIONThe rare earth elements have experienced growing importance in recent decades due to their application in high technology, including optical lenses, lasers, high-temperature superconductors, improved alloys, high energy-density batteries, and powerful magnets for compact electronic devices. Their historic production methods and uses are detailed in several texts (Hampel 1971; Bautista &Jackson 1992; Gupta & Krishnamurthy 2005). A s the p rice o f these e lements has r isen in r ecent years, so has interest in their efficient production and possible recycling options. Rare earth oxides are concentrated through hydrometallurgical techniques, but the high thermochemical stability of their oxides precludes production of rare earth metals in aqueous systems. However, the wide electrochemical window and better control of pO2- in fused salt systems allows the production of these reactive metals from their halides or oxides. The high ionic conductivity and diffusivity of the molten ionic electrolyte allow high currents with limited resistive losses (Fray 1980). Electrolytic methods in fused salts are commonly adopted for the production of bulk rare earths in a variety of molten salt systems. Fluorides are sometimes proposed for oxide electrowinning processes due to ability to dissolve the rare earth oxide, reduced hygroscopic behavior, and the wider electrochemical separation between O2 and halide gas evolution (Mohan Das, Damodaran et al. 1988; Gibilaro, Pivato et al. 2011). However, in most electrolytic production processes, such as that for mischmetal, the rare earth oxides are converted to chloride prior to electrolysis in a chloride bath (Gschneidner Jr. & Eyring 1978; Sharma 1987). Of the chlorides, the LiCl-KCl eutectic is one specific medium in which metal production and production-related investigations have been conducted (Gschneidner J r. & Eyring 1978; Driscoll & Fray 1993). L iCl-KCl eutectic has the advantages o f h igh conductivity, but relatively low viscosity and operating temperature. The low operating temperature allows simpler design, with reduced energy consumption, salt volatility and cell corrosion."

Jan 1, 2012

By Rita Awwad

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been gaining a significant edge in the construction industry over the last decade. BIM allows gathering all building information in one shared database that can help all construction entities better understand, integrate and visualize all work progress from inception to operation of the building. The main purpose behind BIM is to bring all project participants together (Client, Architect, Contractor, Consultant) since the initial stages of a project allowing them to cooperate and work as a team in the promise of an increased productivity, reduced cost, enhanced quality and faster delivery. However, a full-fledged implementation of BIM tools and benefits is not yet achieved in the construction industry and remains a debatable issue for researchers and practitioners in the construction field. This paper aims at assessing BIM awareness and usage in the Lebanese construction industry through conducting interviews with contractors, architects and consultants that are key players in the Lebanese market. A comprehensive literature review about BIM adoption in some developed countries and in the surrounding region is also provided in order to better evaluate the Lebanese industry status in comparison with foreign industries. This research sheds the light on BIM awareness of the different construction parties in the Lebanese market, assesses the extent of its current use, identifies the pertaining implementation challenges, and provides recommendations to enhance BIM role in the Lebanese construction industry.

Aug 1, 2013

By Mandius C. Lundal

This report describes the work done to develop a coal mining machine to increase productivity and recovery from thin seams beyond the highwall, in addition to decreasing the miner's susceptibility to to highwall hazards First, radar transducers were adapted to measure coal thinkness and detect rock and coal interfaces; Then, the radar was incorporated into a cutterhead with steering controls. Next, visual displays were designed to show cutter position in the coal seam, and anticipated change in coal seam inclination, Finally, development of a telemetry system made remote control of the cutterhead possible. Simultaneously, a high-performance extended depth (HPxD) auger machine was designed with an automatic system to handle 600 ft of 36-in, diameter dual spiral flight conveyor sections. A two man crew controls all operations from a weather conditioned cab outside the VDZ, either at night or day time. As a primary mining tool, working 4000 hr/yr (2 shifts/day) recovering 60% of the coal 600 ft beyond the highwall, productlon to 500,000 ton/yr can be achieved. Volume I provides an overview of machine, systems and productivity.

Jan 1, 1977

By Jürg Künzle

The use of the underground space has been a recurring issue in human history, whereas the reasons for building subsurface structures have changed over time. In the decades to come, the world will be marked by a variety of underground projects never before seen. This paper describes a series of characteristic challenges of designing and building underground freight transportation systems, with reference to the example of Cargo sous terrain, a privately funded underground logistics project in Switzerland. It provides an overview of contracting practices that allow these challenges to be addressed with success.

Jun 13, 2021

By Duluth Engineers' Club, Engineers' Club of Northern Minnesota

"The history of Duluth commences with Daniel de Greysolon du Lhut, one of the explorers of the Upper Mississippi who came to the head of the lakes in the summer of 1679. Radisson and Groseillier, and Claude Allouez, a Jesuit priest, are supposed to have visited the head of the lakes, -but there is no authentic record previous to that of du Lhut.In 1792, the fur traders established a fort at Fond du Lac, fifteen miles up the St. Louis River from Lake Superior, but within the limits of the present city •of Duluth. In the early 50's, there were a few scattering settlers at Oneota and around the George Stuntz trading post on Minnesota point. In 1855-6, the settlement on Minnesota point was called Duluth, commemorating the name du Lhut, and organized as a town in 1857. The first board of trustees and town council consisted of -William Nettleton, J. B. Culver; Robert E. Jefferson, Grin W. Rice and William Old: In 1870, the city of Duluth was incorporated, and five years later a portion of the same territory was incorporated as the village of Duluth, and the two municipal corporations were still in existence on March 1, 1887, when the city and the village of Duluth were incorporated as the present city.The first saw mill in Duluth was erected in 1856-57, on the present site of the ship canal. It cut logs from a virgin forest at the upper end of Minnesota point.The first railroad was built to the head of the lakes in 1870. The charter for this road had been granted in 1861 to the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad Company, afterward called the St. Paul and Duluth, and which is now a part of the Northern Pacific Railroad."

Jan 1, 1920

By D Brereton, C J. Moran

In this era of rising focus on the social and environmental costs and benefits of mining operations, the valuation methodologies used to assess such impacts become increasingly important. Within an industry dominated by an engineering culture that places emphasis on net present value (NPV) calculations using high discount rates, difficulties often arise when attempting to justify projects with longer-term, harder to quantify benefits. This is particularly so when these benefits fall in the social and environmental domains and involve other stakeholders. In this paper, we summarise the results of a recent literature review on this subject, which focused on the valuation of æBeyond ComplianceÆ initiatives in the mining sector. We discuss a range of approaches including the quantification of hidden internal costs, financial methods of incorporating risk into calculations, the integration of quantitative and qualitative information, and also the valuation of æexternalitiesÆ or costs and benefits borne by others. We then use a series of examples relating to the management of water in the minerals industry to illustrate how some of these approaches could be applied. There are high-level commitments from both individual companies and groups such as the ICMM to incorporate sustainable development criteria into decision-making processes within the industry. We conclude the paper by arguing that, to meet these commitments, there is a need for the industry to adopt a broader range of valuation methodologies than appears to be the case at present.

Jan 1, 2006

By S. J. van Wyk, A. S. H. Haagner

Land rehabilitation transcends the mere establishment of vegetation across disturbed landscapes; it should be conceptualised as a specialised ecological reconstruction process. This process necessitates a long-term perspective on the success of land repurposing. It requires a continuum of inputs specified and managed by a dedicated and qualified custodian to ensure the sustained economic viability and ecological sustainability of the land. Based on the authors’ combined experience and field observations over more than five decades, they advocate for an urgent shift away from traditional land rehabilitation practices toward a paradigm centred on land capability reconstruction and active stewardship. The prevailing rehabilitation culture has overly simplified the process to a mere revegetation exercise, which is fundamentally incompatible with the comprehensive requirements for sustainable land capability. While the regulatory framework provides valuable guidance for obtaining a mine’s social license to operate, a paradigm reset is essential. Mining companies must prioritise rehabilitation quality, set achievable sustainability goals, and establish clear pathways and milestones to meet relinquishment criteria. Currently, the status quo view—a model reliant on outsourced contracting and agricultural approaches—is that mine rehabilitation is a one-time intervention rather than a complex, systemic, and long-term process. This perspective presents significant challenges, as the success of ecological interventions can only be accurately assessed over extended timeframes, often spanning decades. Shortsighted rehabilitation specifications, coupled with practitioners operating within agricultural decision frameworks, frequently overlook the necessity for integrated rehabilitation expertise and the scientific foundation essential for designing and implementing effective ecological outcomes. A lack of long-term monitoring information impedes the required adaptive management of rehabilitated systems and, therefore, delays the transition towards final land use. This short approach costs the mining industry millions annually, often without recognising the inadequacies in long-term liability mitigation and the substandard ecological success achieved. The disconnect between procurement processes, the qualifications of service providers, and the unclear pathways to relinquishment can impede successful rehabilitation outcomes, frequently undermining progress toward sustainability milestones. Unless there is a fundamental reset of the land rehabilitation culture, pursuing sustainability will remain an elusive and perhaps impossible objective. Consequently, mining companies may hesitate to fully commit to sustainable land rehabilitation practices, as the prospects for relinquishment and final closure remain uncertain at best.

Apr 25, 2025