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There is no doubt that the mining sector is considered to be the backbone of many countries. Furthermore, it has played an important role in the prosperity of nations, whether developed or developing. Saudi Arabia is one of these countries that has a large variety of metallic and non-metallic mineral resources that range in size and value occurrences of limited potential to deposits large enough to sustain profitable exploitation. Therefore, the Saudi government needs to reinforce the capacity of the sectoral institutions to better regulate and promote the sustainable development of the sector. The ability to overcome the administrative and legal complications that constrain private sector participation in the minerals sector, through new mining code which will streamline the procedures for obtaining licenses and will add more predictability and transparency to the application process, are proposed for increasing the sustainable development. This paper will outline how the Saudi government is tackling the major challenges that face the minerals industry. This paper provides the background to the Saudi Arabian mineral sector and its industrial base. Finally, the paper identifies the problems and constraints that face the minerals sector in Saudi Arabia and provides an assessment of the effects of government policies and planning efforts in the minerals sector, particularly during the period of the development plans which started in 1970.

Jan 1, 2009

By W. Edwin Dill

For the mining industry, the Internal Revenue Code and regulations offer a range of choices in arriving at the allowable depletion. Each case is essentially unique. Two prerequisites can optimize these opportunities: communications between the mining company's tax specialists and its technical staff; and an understanding of IRS definitions. For the latter, a logical starting point is consideration of exploration and development, since they precede production and depletion is unallowable prior to production. Criteria for selecting engineering and accounting options for exploration and development indicate the necessity of interaction between these company functions to achieve the most favorable tax position.

Jan 1, 1982

By W. D. BRENNAN

AS a rule the thoughts of engineers are more often directed toward the mechanical and physical conditions of mining practice than they are toward the disposition and the marketing of the product. This, I think, has been true of the coal industry to the present time not only among the engineering force but also generally true of operators. There has been a tendency to place the sales department in a rather secondary position; for a great many years there was a greater demand for coal than the supply would meet, so it was only necessary to increase production: either by expansion of operating mines, or opening new mines of greater capacity. While the production of coal is still a highly important phase of the industry, its enormous development throughout the country, the great advance in fuel, efficiency and economy, and the discovery of new reserves of competitive fuels have combined to create a buyers' market and force the present-day attention upon merchandising in modern ways. A buyers' market has a natural tendency to develop the keenest competition, frequently unscrupulous and nearly always profit-wrecking. Under such conditions bad practices are bound to grow and to extend until the industry is wrecked, or until wiser heads get together to reduce or eliminate unfair methods of competition. This is not so recent a condition as one might believe.

Jan 1, 1931

By A Scott, I Onederra

A great deal of technical and research effort has been applied to the development of models to predict fragmentation from rock blasting. A number of quite useful empirical or engineering models are currently available to blasting engineers and consultants, while more sophisticated approaches using mechanistic and numerical descriptions of rock breakage continue to be developed and applied by researchers and explosives companies.The fragmentation resulting from any blast will be heavily dependent on the properties of the rock mass being blasted; however, most empirical models rely on ‘rock factors’ generated from simple rock mass properties to describe the influence of the rock on the blasting outcome. In contrast, mechanistic models need explicit rock mass properties that require sophisticated laboratory measurements and detailed structural data if realistic outcomes are to be generated. The fragmentation modeller is caught between excessively simple rock mass descriptions for the empirical models and excessively complex data requirements for the mechanistic models.This paper briefly reviews the basis of a range of fragmentation models and the rock mass properties on which they rely. Shortcomings in the way that the mining industry tends to characterise the blasting properties of rock are discussed and some practical approaches are described to quantify these properties in both operating and greenfield mining environments. Case studies are presented where specific additional breakage properties and modelling features have been needed to generate a useful description of the fragmentation achieved.CITATION:Scott, A and Onederra, I, 2015. Characterising rock mass properties for fragmentation modelling, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 149–160 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By Jeffrey A. Shibe

A prototype Fire Safety Evaluation System has been developed and is ready to be evaluated by a Peer Consulting Panel and for performing field tests. The system can be used to determine combinations of widely accepted fire safety equipment and under-ground coal mine features that provide a level of safety equivalent to those required by the Code of Federal Regulations-Title 30 for underground coal mines. In this evaluation, equivalent safety performance is gauged in terms of overall level of safety provided rather than by a component by component comparison.

Jan 1, 1987

By Robin J. Batterham

Alumina demand is steadily climbing around the world and is likely to continue to do so for many years. In such a commodity industry, the question arises as to what effort should be expended on innovation, given that for an individual company, the drivers of change are cost and quality as the market demand is essentially assured. This is of course a long-term view. The current conditions are less attractive. In this presentation, we review the broad issues that are considered targets for collaborative development by the industry as recently updated in the alumina industry roadmap published by the International Aluminium Institute in 2010. While they cover areas such as ?mine rehabilitation, residue management and use, alumina production from high sulfur bauxite, bauxite beneficiation, energy efficiency and alternative technologies for alkali and alumina recovery from bauxite residues,? it must be remembered that each refinery is different in terms of the feed material and the circumstances of waste disposal. Of particular interest is the more competitive area of breakthrough technologies. In the presentation, we will consider a range of opportunities that could transform the industry, from relatively near term possibilities such as bauxite activation through possibilities to eliminate crystallization as currently practiced to complete alternatives, such as the use of hyperaccumulating plants. Against this optimism, some of the realities that hold back breakthrough innovation will be presented for discussion.

Sep 1, 2012

By T. Koulomzine, R P. Jaeggin

The claims now held by Mount Wright Iron Mines Co. Limited were acquired by staking in 1956, 1957 and 1958, i.e., some time after the major deposits of the Quebec Cartier Mining and Normanvi!le Mining Co. (formerly Quebec Cobalt & Exploration Ltd.) were already discovered and partly outlined. The choice of the location of the Mount Wright hold-ings was governed simply by the -availability of ground still open to staking and by its proximity to properties held by major iron companies. Mount Wright Iron Mines had no previous knowledge of the geology and no aeromagnetic results were available to it to guide the choice of areas to be staked. In order to explore the newly ac-quired claims it was decided to make a grid of widely spaced magnetic profiles on the ground rather than use aeromagnetics. This afforded the possibility of making some geological observations simultaneously with the geophysical measurements.

Jan 1, 1961

By Anthony F. G. Lucas

BORN on Sept. 9, 1855, in the city of Spalato, Dalmatia. Austria, Antonio Francisco Luchich was the son of Francis Stephen Luchich, a prosperous shipbuilder and ship-owner of Lesina. His mother, Johanna Giovanizio, was known to the people of Trieste as a woman of unusual learning and piety. After receiving his high school training in Trieste, Antonio Luchich entered the Polytechnic Institute at Gratz in the year 1875, graduating two years later as an engineer. He then entered the Naval Academy of Fiume and Pola as a Midshipman, receiving his commission as a Lieutenant in 1878. In 1879, then 24, Antonio Luchich obtained a leave of absence from the Austrian Navy and came to Saginaw, Mich., to visit an uncle. He remained in this country and on May 4. 1885 at Norfolk, Va.. he became Anthony Francis Lucas. an American citizen.

Jan 1, 1945

By L. E. Djingheuzian

IN 1953, Lewis (1) published an article which brought forth a great amount of discussion by grinding engineers. In his contribution to discussion the present writer (2) suggested that, for the most efficient performance of a ball mill, there must be a .definite relationship between Cn, per cent critical speed, and V p, per cent mill volume occupied by the ball charge. Later, he ( 3) was able to publish some grinding data from Wright-Hargreaves milly which appeared to bear out this contention. It is with this view to establishing a fundamental relationship between Cn and Vp that the idea of this Forum was conceived. Accordingly, a questionnaire was prepared and copies of it were mailed to over eighty Canadian mill operators. This questionnaire did not include a question on dilution on the assumption that each mill operator was using the most efficient dilution for his operation, nor was a question on efficiency of classification included since it was thought that the inclusion of efficiency of dassification in the questionnaire at this preliminary stage might render the forum discussion,. while everybody was trying to find his bearings, too unwieldy. However, it is evident that, as discussions develop, this forum will have to define a uniform method for establishing most efficient classification in grinding circuits

Jan 1, 1957

By WALTER CARROLL

Between cross currents of economic factors and international expediencies the iron and steel industry in 1948 made an outstanding contribution to the general economic picture. Were it not for an unfortunate episode during the month of April involving a temporary shortage of coal, 1948 would have been an all-time record year in output. Exceeded in no previous peacetime year, the production of iron and steel in 1948 totaled some 88,500,000 tons. That it was a worthwhile effort of no small magnitude is evidenced by the fact that in three and one half years following the war, this nation has produced as much steel as in the five years preceding the war. This figure of 88,500,000 tons is 68 per cent greater than that for 1939.

Jan 1, 1949

By H. E. Miard

"IntroductionIT HAS BEEN SAID, with good reason, that the future of the coal mining industry, in our mountainous regions at least, depends on ability to extend operations successfully to depths greater than those reached until now. However, at many points, Nature has given definite hints that trespassing there could be fraught with very un-pleasant possibilities, unless the intruder be governed by a series of rigidly observed principles. In the coal mines of British Columbia, so far, bumps have taken place only at the Coal Creek colliery, but there they gave ample evidence of the extent to which they can hamper underground operations. Some of these manifestations have also been experienced at the McGillivray Creek colliery, in Alberta, at Carbonado, in Washington, and at Sunnyside, in Utah.Cognate phenomena, known as 'air blasts', have been experienced also in some deep metalliferous mines in British Columbia. Such occurrences were responsible for three fatal accidents at the Le Roi and War Eagle mines, near Rossland, in 1916 and 1917.In more or less disturbed coal fields, another form of stress release, equally detrimental, has been still more generally experienced than have been the bumps. Coal outbursts have taken place at Morrissey and Coal Creek, in the Crow's Nest Pass district, and at Cassidy, South Wellington, and the Nanaimo Reserve colliery, on Vancouver island. Manifestations of this kind have been made the subject of intensive study in European countries where they occurred on a really impressive scale, which must not be construed as meaning that some of our own outbursts did not approach a comparable magnitude."

Jan 1, 1953

By K. Huessener

INTRODUCTION THIS paper attempts a survey of the principles involved in the com¬bustion of blast-furnace gas in boilers and stoves. I do not expect to be able to give much information which is actually new, since the laws and methods of calculation pertaining to this problem are contained in a number of handbooks; but, so far as I am aware, they have nowhere been treated exclusively with reference to this one problem of gas economy. The road which I follow is less that of strictly scientific research than that of the practical engineer, faced by operation problems which require a. quick solution by easily accessible means without a prolonged search in scientific handbooks. For this purpose I give a number of tables and diagrams, as well as the results of many years' practical working experience as combustion engineer, which I trust will prove useful to my readers. HISTORICAL Considering the tremendous efforts made during the last 15 years to increase the efficiency of all kinds of power plants, it is highly surprising that until a comparatively very recent period, progress in the economical combustion of blast-furnace gas has been so slow. The explanation generally put forth, that fuel has been so cheap that it was hardly worth while to bother about this economy, will not hold good, for the greatest trouble was taken to improve the combustion of coal and to reduce the consumption of steam. The most plausible explanation appears to be the general impression, held as an accepted fact, that gas, especially hot, uncleaned, blast-furnace gas, was not a good boiler fuel. Many managers of high repute had tried unsuccessfully to improve the conditions of its use, and the dictum went forth that efficiencies of over 60 per cent., particularly with high loads, were impossible. This was the situation not only in the United States, with very cheap fuel, but also in Europe, where fuel prices are twice and three times as high.

Jan 2, 1916

By A. W. JR. Whitaker

Introduction Within the last quarter of a century the Lake St. John-Saguenay valley has been converted from a quiet agricultural district to one of the important industrial centres in the Dominion. First there was the expansion -of the pulp and paper industry, and then, starting a little over ten years, ago, the development, in large .blocks, of the enormous hydro-electric power resources of the Saguenay river. Coincident with this power development, the world aluminum industry was rapidly expanding and looking for a new source of cheap power. This was found in the Saguenay valley-and so, in 1925, Arvida was established by the Aluminum Company of Canada as a location for one of the largest aluminum plants in the world. Arvida, an incorporated city comprising an area of some ten square miles, is ideally located on a more or less level plateau about 350 feet above the Saguenay river. Seldom has industry stepped boldly forth and carved out of Nature a community with full city status. The process usually goes through the steps of camp, village, town, and city, involving improper planning or lack of planning; all of which has been avoided at Arvida by starting out in the right way. While this community has only a population of approximately 2,000 at the present time, it is carefully planned for a population many times this figure. Streets, city parks, business and residential sections, have been definitely planned, and, with a City government, proper ordinances were passed at the beginning to ensure the building and maintenance of a model industrial community. As the crow flies, Arvida is about 35 miles due east of lake St. John, and 0 miles west of the St. Lawrence river at Tadoussac. From a shipping standpoint, it is well served by the Canadian National railways, with direct lines to Quebec and Montreal, and by ocean shipping facilities at Port Alfred, which is about 15 miles to the east on the Saguenay river and is served by the Roberval & Saguenay railway. The latter has interchange connections with the Canadian National at Arivda, and also operates a branch line into the city of Chicoutimi.

Jan 1, 1933

By AIME AIME

GENERAL COMMITTEES. SAN FRANCISCO:-ExECUTIVE, Hon. William C. Ralston, Chairman; RECEPTION, Prow. Samuel B. Christy, Chairman; SESSIONS, Frederic W. Bradley, Chairman; PRESS, H. Foster Bain, Chairman; FINANCE, Mark L. Requa, Chairman; EXCURSIONS AND ENTERTAINMENTS, Edward H. Benjamin, Chairman. Assisted by Harry P. Stow, C. W.Merrill, F. W. Griffin, Gelasio Caetani, Albert Burch, Newton Cleaveland, Corey C. Brayton and R. E. Cranston. Los ANGELES :-EXECUTIVE, Theo. B. Comstock, Chairman; R. W. Hadden, Secretary; H. R. Simpson, Treasurer. Institute Headquarters at Hotel St. Francis. The first and opening session, held Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 10,. in the Reception-Hall of the St. Francis, was called to order by State Senator William C. Ralston, Chairman of the Executive Committee, who in a few well-chosen words welcomed the visiting members and guests of the Institute to San Francisco. He said it was twelve years since the last meeting on the Pacific Coast and that it was here that the greatest feats. of mining had been accomplished in the history of the country. He told of the work that had been done on the continent and of the new methods introduced by the mining engineers for the betterment of the nation. He then introduced Capt. Robert W. Hunt, twice past President of the Institute, and present Acting President for the San Francisco meeting and the subsequent visit to Japan, who responded cordially to Mr. Ralston's welcoming address. By unanimous vote, the Secretary was instructed to send a telegram to President Charles Kirchhoff expressing regret for his absence, and hoping for a rapid improvement in the health of his mother. The following papers were presented in brief oral abstract by the authors: . * Electrolytic Refining at the U. S. Mint, San Francisco, Cal., by Edward B. Durham, San Francisco, Cal. The Parral Tank System of Agitating Slime-Pulp, by Bernard MacDonald, Guanajuato, Mexico. * The Newport Iron-Mine, Ironwood, Mich., by B. W. Vallat, Ironwood, Mich. (illustrated by lantern-slides). * Distributed in pamphlet worm.

Nov 1, 1911

By Claudia Monreal L., Dafne Herreros

"The Geological Modeling is the undisputed point of split of any type of mining method, the effect that the vision and experience of the geologists is propagated trough the development of the project and is an important part of the final success. The collection of information is taken in stages. In earlier stages uses the greater part of the budget and the strategy to store and manage this data collection, as its performing will define the destiny of the deposit and of the business. With this background the geology and its modeling receive great attention from the industry and care providers being a fertile field in research and innovation. "

Sep 1, 2017

By Edmund S. Leaver

[In previous reports 5/ of ore-testing studies standard methods of conduction tests with precious-metal ores selected as representative of certain mining districts were discussed in considerable detail.]

Jan 1, 1941

By L. A. Eros

The U.S. Bureau of Mines and Western Fuels Utah, Inc. entered into an agreement to plan, install, and evaluate a micro-computer based monitoring and control system at Deserado Mine, an underground coal mine. The U.S. Bureau of Hines contracted the Colorado School of Mines (CSN) to independently evaluate the project. CSM evaluated and documented costs, benefits, problems, and management and labor perceptions in this report. Recommendations are provided for mine operators and monitoring system vendors considering future installations.

Jan 1, 1986

By Edmund S. Leaver

[In previous reports5/ of ore-testing studies standard methods of conducting; test with precious-metal ores selected as representative of certain mining districts were discussed in considerable detail. In addition to standard tent procedures such as direct cyanidation, amalgamation, gravity concentration, and flotation, or a combination of these methods, it is sometimes necessary to apply other methods, such as preliminary roasting and washing of the calcine with plain or acidulated water before cyanidation. In all of this work standard tenting procedure has been supplements by he necessary assaying and analyses of original ore and test products.]

Jan 1, 1941

By J. B. F. Champlin

The continuing development of the nuclear industry in the United States requires a program of waste disposal that insures against the release of large amounts of radioactivity to the environment. This paper describes research on one proposed means of disposal of this waste, that of injection into geologic formations at depth. Nuclear production plant wastes were simulated and injected into samples of sedimentary rock obtained from outcrops, quarries, and deep wells. Changes in the chemical and physical characteristics of the rocks caused by the interaction of ions and suspended particles in the waste solutions with the cementing material and claylike particles in the rock are discussed. Laboratory tests show that nuclear wastes can be injected into many natural porous, permeable geologic formations. Injectivity can be maintained over a longer period by monitoring the ionic balance and particle-size distribution of waste streams. The combination of permeability and porosity with low cation-retention capacity, as exhibited by most sandstones, would satisfy the engineering requirements for the subsurface disposal of nuclear waste. Shales and clays with their low permeability and high cation-retention capacity would make excellent confining formations. The amount of cation retained by sedimentary rocks increases with increasing valence or concentration of the cation or decreasing brine concentration. The use of rock cores as model reservoirs had proved successful in determining some of the parameters that need to be considered in full-scale field disposal of wastes.

Jan 1, 1967

By W. L. Saunders, Richard T. Dana

The dynamites are graded according to the percentage of nitroglycerin that they contain. Thus a “40% powder” would be one in which the sticks, weighing one-half pound each, would include one-fifth of a pound of pure nitroglycerin. Dynamite is usually packed in paper cartridges weighing about one-half pound each which will vary in diameter. When ordering, it is customary to specify a size of cartridge that will as nearly as possible fill the drill hole, the commonest size being 1 ¼” in diameter by 8” in length. It is nearly always shipped in 50-lb. boxes, which have a volumetric capacity of 3/4 cu.ft.

Jan 1, 2013