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By Martin F. Grier

The Mt Todd Gold Project is located 300km to the south of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. The identified resource comprises 46 million tonnes at 1. 65g/t using a 1. 0g/t cut-off ( 50 million short tonnes at 0.05oz/st). The resource is open to the north and at depth. Mineralisation comprises easterly dipping sheeted quartz/sulphide veins, typically 10 to 20 millimetres in thickness, hosted by hornsfelled greywackes. The majority of the ore body is primary ore with only 10% classified as oxide ore. Early testwork showed that the ore was not suitable for heap leaching, giving only 50% recovery at a -3mm crush size. Acceptable recoveries were obtained at a P80 of 75 micron. However, the ore is extremely hard.

Jan 1, 1992

By John Berney-Ficklin

Large scale grinding mills can reduce both capital and operating costs for concentrators. These mills can be effectively used, but they must be free from design and manufacturing deficiencies if they are to reach their full potential and avoid costly downtime. This paper presents the evolution of today's complex grinding mill specifications and discusses the most important items to look for when buying new equipment. It emphasizes the need to monitor specification requirements during design and manufacture. It also discusses the growing trend to have grinding mills fabricated in overseas plants, and the importance of recognizing this when preparing specifications.

Jan 1, 1987

By J. C. Cawley

Improvements in today's maintenance practices are mandatory as more complex and productive machines evolve in the mining industry. By keeping machine reliability high through improved maintenance procedures, overall mining costs can be reduced. The Bureau of Mines is investigating diagnostic maintenance systems for underground mining machinery. A hydraulic expert diagnostic system and an electric motor predictive diagnostic system have been designed and installed on a Joy 16CM continuous miner. An electrical diagnostic system has been designed and installed on a Joy 14CM continuous miner. Each system is functionally described and the relative merits of expert diagnostic systems versus algorithmic diagnostic systems are discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By T. V. Falkie

REMARKS OF DR. THOMAS V. FALKIE, DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF MINES, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE FALL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF MINING ENGINEERS, AIME, ACAPULCO, MEXICO, SEPTEMBER 23, 1974 This is a time of uncertainty on the world mineral scene. For some of the world's so-called "developed" countries, reserves and production of key minerals are running low. And, we have learned that the energy so essential in recovering and processing minerals can suddenly be in short supply. The prospects for a "no growth" situation in energy or mineral consumption are practically nil. Moreover, the world's economy is in flux, casting doubt on whether traditional mineral customers will continue to be able to buy, or for that matter, whether traditional suppliers of minerals will continue to sell. It is clear that the mineral situation is contributing to world inflationary pressures, which incidentally are most damaging to developing countries. So it is appropriate that SME members devote this session to the world mineral situation, and consider some of the opportunities and responsibilities that we will inevitably encounter as the future becomes the present. The opportunities, to me at least, are especially intriguing, I have the good fortune to be part of an organization that has an enormous capability and responsibility for dealing with mineral problems. The Interior Department's Bureaus, including the Bureau of Mines, have been around for a long time. They are. a prolific and reliable source of both mineral information and mineral technology.

Jan 1, 1974

By K. Nielsen

The paper uses three examples to illustrate the challenges that the minerals industry is facing with regard to our image and the public?s perception of us. The paper then discusses communication with stakeholders as opposed to lecturing to the public and the authorities, and states that the industry needs to work more directly towards politicians and regulators as target groups. The conclusion is that we still have a way to go before the industry is doing enough to bring our message to the right people, but we are improving.

Jan 1, 2007

By Sushil Bhandari

A computer model is developed for the problem of dispersal of dust (suspended particulate matter) resulting from blasting operations in surface mines. Undulated surface (lower boundary) simulation was carried through sixth order polynomial by least square approximation. Segmentwise terrain simulation was linearly added to build ground feature extending either side of the blast location. Assuming the initial dust concentration in the vertical column to. be uniform and treating the finite vertical line sources as a series of point sources to height, H varying from zero to top of the dust mushroom, integration was done of the concentration effects from H = 0 toL tan[0] (L = horizontal distance of the blast location and [0] is the angle of the top of dust cloud from the point of observation). Using frame of reference moving with the mean wind, the ground level 'concentration (GLC) has been computed over the undulated terrain. Standard deviation (s) of concentration has been parameterized based on mixed layer similarity theory in convective boundary layer.

Jan 1, 2002

By P. W. Johnson, H. Fan, S. B. Patton, T. Novak, R. L. Sanford

A computer model is presented that quantitatively uses the relationship between the interactive and dynamic processes of methane drainage, mining, and ventilation. The model includes simulation of the coalbed methane reservoir for prediction of gas-emission rates under the influence of degasification wells and longwall mining, ventilation network-generation and ventilation simulation. As mining progresses step-wise through the coalbed-methane reservoir, the ventilation network is created and subsequently simulated, iteratively determining fan requirements to safely reduce methane concentrations. The model can be used to quantitatively study the effectiveness of methane degasitication on the ventilation system in a longwall panel.

Jan 1, 1995

By J. G. Groppo

A beneficiation process has been developed to provide selective separation of unburned carbon from high LOI fly ash. Previous reports of utilizing froth flotation to achieve selective separations required long residence times and high reagent costs. A proprietary reagent system has been developed to address both of these limitations. Based on the results obtained from laboratory and pilot-scale investigations, a flowsheet design has been developed to produce two distinct usable products from class F fly ash; low LOI ash and a high carbon product suitable for reburning or further upgrading. A process flowsheet and description are presented.

Jan 1, 1996

By M. M. Fine

One of the most persistent topics at technical gatherings and in the recent scientific press has been the reduction of iron ore. To cite some of them, in May 1960, a symposium on the subject was sponsored by the Electrochemical Society. The proceedings, comprising two dozen papers, were later published.3/ More recently, November 1966, a similar gathering took place at Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Mich. The latest meeting was the International Congress on Production and Utilization of Reduced Materials, Evian, France, May 1967. If the volume of literature, symposia and conferences is a measure of industry concern, then current interest must be at a high level. To the casual observer of the metallurgical scene, the abiding and recurring attention to iron ore reduction outside the blast furnace must be somewhat puzzling in that so much research endeavor has resulted in so little commercial activity.

Jan 1, 1968

By M. Tapper

If one considers that prehistoric man's first house may have been a limestone cave, calcium carbonate may be the most timeless of all building materials. Fanciful history aside, CaCO3 has been used for countless applications in human habitats. After all, tine marble block and tiles have always been the hallmark of eloquents and style. Mortars and cements derived from limestone have held together the very blocks of our civilization. In modem times, synthetic polymers are blended with ground limestone to produce everything from pipe, floor tile, cultured marble and house siding. All of these miracles of our technology contain CacO3 of various sizes and in varying amounts. This paper will discuss some of the critical attributes of CaCO3 which make it suitable for the new building products that have helped increase our standard of living. The vehicle of discussion will be a residential, single family house.

Jan 1, 1993

By William C. Peters

"A large proportion of the earth's surface is blanketed by young sedimentary formations and by recent lava flows. How many Guanajuatos lie concealed beneath the rhyolitic capping of the Sierra Madre of Mexico? How many Kirkland Lakes are under the drift cover of the Canadian Shield? How many Wilunas are still hidden by the alluvium of the desert of Western Australia? How many ore deposits lurk underneath the basalt-covered plateaus of the Columbia River region? If erosion at Goldfield, Nevada, had stopped 100 feet higher, probably no ore would have been exposed. How many Goldfields are still awaiting discovery?" --Hugh Exton McKinstry, 1948

Jan 1, 1969

By J. A. Herbst, R. Zaragoza

Conventional control schemes in use today are not able to produce satisfactory control when high-frequency disturbances are present in the flotation feed. An advanced model-based control scheme is presented here as a promising solution to this control problem. The main feature of this control scheme is the real time identification of the unknown disturbances in the first few cells of the flotation circuit. This information is used to control the rest of the flotation plant in a feedforward fashion. This control scheme also provides flexibility to meet any metallurgical, economical, or management objective.

Jan 1, 1987

By Dennis L. Boley, Francesco Gallavresi, Donald A. Bruce

The authors describe novel aspects of ground reinforcement and treatment as related to soft ground excavation for tunnels throughout the world. Insitu reinforcement for cut slopes (soil nailing), as underpinning (reticulated micropiles), and as direct tunnel support (infilaggi) is introduced. Ground treatment focuses on new aspects of permeation grouting (by the tube'a manchette system), and on jet grouting-a very powerful and positive new technique. Recent developments in equipment, materials, methods and instrumentation are reviewed, with special reference to major tunnelling projects in Italy and Singapore.

Jan 1, 1987

By N. Vayenas

Modern mines possess a wide variety of capital intensive equipment. Equipment failures and the associated down time contribute significantly to the overall maintenance, operating and production costs of a mine. Reliability investigations are becoming a standard practice, as the equipment becomes more complicated and the effective use of resources is critical for achieving higher productivity and mine safety. In view of the recent global initiative for sustainable development in the mineral industries, reliability of capital intensive machinery should be considered as a key indicator for sustainable development and growth. This paper discusses the application of equipment reliability as a sustainability indicator and proposes a methodology for its practical use. Reliability of equipment systems is useful for product life cycle assessment, mine performance measurement and evaluation.

Jan 1, 2007

By T. P. Meloy

Like our wives, the comminution of brittle solids is easy to recognize but difficult to describe. However, describing it we must. Describing the fracture mechanism of brittle solids permits the eventual mathematical quantification of the results, process optimization and control strategies. This paper presents a physical model of brittle solid comminution that explains why the slope of the log-log size distribution curves have a slope of one or less in the smaller particle sizes. To develop the hypothesis, modifications of the Gaudin Meloy physical model are made. In brittle solids, comminution takes place by cracks propagating through the material. These cracks may bifurcate as they move. Cracks may terminate either on the original surface of the material, or on a secondary crack within the material formed earlier in the comminution process.

Jan 1, 1994

By Fabio Amaya, Andrés Marulanda, Ramiro Gutiérrez, Alberto Marulanda

The behavior of a salt rock mass is strongly related to a creep phenomenon. The amount of creep depends on the level of stress generated in the underground excavation. Additionally, security conditions and the lifespan of an underground cavern excavated under this geological conditions depend on the evolution of creep. Based on the experience of the failure of the Old Underground Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá(Colombia) and the construction of the new one, the theoretical framework to predict the creep behavior of a salt rock mass is explained. The theoretical formulations are calibrated based on actual observations of the material behavior to predict the lifespan of this striking structure.

Jan 1, 2003

By E. De Souza

Rockbursts and rockfalls cause very large safety and productivity losses in underground mines. One of the major unsolved problems of safe, economical rock support in underground mining has been that of maintaining anchorage during dynamic rock loading conditions or seismic related occurrences. It is recognized that the large displacements and high strain rates in excavation walls and underground structures cannot be countered by increasing the strength of stiff rock-reinforcing systems but must be accommodated by introducing yieldability into the support elements. This paper introduces a low cost yieldable support system which provides viable solutions to dynamic support loading. Such system should not only provide a feasible and more effective rock mass stabilization strategy but improve mine safety and reduce losses.

Jan 1, 1998

By K. Valta

This paper presents an approach for developing a Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs) framework tailored to the Greek Industrial Minerals sector, due to its importance for the national economy. To achieve this goal, an overview of the Greek mining and minerals, and especially the Industrial Minerals sector, from a technological and a financial perspective, is presented. In addition, a brief description of the global initiatives to this direction is given. The proposed indicators are based on those presented in 2006 by the Greek Mining Enterprises Association (GMEA) adjusted for the sector of industrial minerals by taking into account economic, environmental and social issues, known as the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) approach.

Jan 1, 2007

By William R. Sharp

This paper describes a graphics station and graphics software designed specifically for use within the minerals industry. Through the graphics station, a user is able to recall maps for modification, display them on a color CRT, send the work to a plotter, and restore the work when finished. The engineer may use the system for the storing of data, per- forming engineering calculations, doing word processing, and performing general file maintenance. In addition, the system may be used to communicate with a mainframe computer for such purposes as: transmission of large data files, graphic 3-dimensional rotation of a mineral deposit or mine design, contouring of spacial data, and other data processing work.

Jan 1, 1982

By A. W. Swanson

Iron carbide, containing 93.3% Fe and 6.7% C, is a tailor made feed for the electric arc furnace (EAF) and has recently gained worldwide attention as a possible replacement for premium quality scrap. With 38% of the steel in the United States being produced in EAFs, iron ore producers have an interest in becoming direct suppliers to the EAF industry. This paper explains the advantages of using iron carbide in an EAF and describes test work on the product and development work being per formed on engineering designs for a commercial plant.

Jan 1, 1994