Search Documents

By J. B. Warriner

S. A. TAYLOR, Pittsburgh, Pa.-What was the distance of haul? J. B. WARRINER.-There is practically no limit to the haul. The length is determined entirely by the feasible location for a dump. -I have known of hauls up to 2 miles in length. R. V. NORRIS, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.-This paper was originally presented to the Anthracite Section as the result of the appointment of Mr. Warriner as the Chairman of the committee to study this matter and present this paper. As he has stated, he obtained data very freely from all the stripping operations in the region, and it is a type of paper of which we should have more in the Transactions. Two or three things in it strike me as particularly valuable. The two tables, 1 and 2, showing the coal remaining, have been the result of a great amount of study, as it is not an easy matter to obtain data as to the amount of coal left in mining. As an example, one of the, anthracite mines was mined and robbed out in 1850, so the maps show. That mine is today producing 250,000 tons of coal, over 50 per cent. from the bed which on the maps is marked as exhausted. What actually happened is that the seam was on a light pitch inconvenient to mine. There was ample thickness of coal and the chambers were driven at a convenient pitch through this 30,-ft. bed, leaving top and bottom, taking out about 10 ft. The pillars were removed and the working caved and marked as gone. That is the type of area that is now being stripped, which explains the reason for the enormous amount of coal left in, and the fact that Mr. Warriner has worked out the actual results from a large number of strippings is of great interest to the operators in any region handling thick coal which has been mined over in the past, generation. The modern mining, of course, is different. We do not have all the coal we want in big veins, and we do not mine it that way. Another interesting feature of the paper to me was the study of losses. It is not uncommon to assume that after you have stripped off the overburden all the coal goes to market. Mr. Warriner has shown that there is a loss ranging up to 10 or 15 per cent. that does not go, so 'that estimates made on stripping, figuring on all the coal, are subject to this very material correction.

Jan 4, 1917

By H. Merton Ruth

THE northern anthracite fields, although facing the same economic problems as the southern fields, are confronted with the additional problem of fast dwindling reserves of anthracite which can be conventionally and economically won. The mining of coal which remains in thin beds and the recovery of pillars from areas heretofore considered unrecoverable, either by reason of cost or surface restriction, pose problems of increasing importance to the economic life of the northern field operations. Successful approaches have been made to this problem and other work is being performed that holds promise. There exists in the northern anthracite field millions of tons of solid coal, the recovery of which has not been too successful due to the following inherent operating faults: inability to concentrate producing areas, the great quantities of rock to be cut and handled, lack of consideration of proper sequence and speed of second mining, and the continued use of the mine car as the basis of payment. A mining system that has successfully solved these major problems has been in operation in the Scranton area since 1944. Over 1% million tons have been produced from veins varying from 3 to 4% ft thick by this method, which is known as the multiple panel-triangular system-conveyor mining.

Jan 7, 1950

By CHARLES DORRANGE

INTRODUCTION. CULM is a general term used in the anthracite regions for many years to denote a mixture of coal, bony coal and impurities which is sent to the refuse-banks. Thus, 35 years ago culm contained the pea and buckwheat sizes of anthracite; but to-day, and as mentioned in this paper, culm is used specifically to denote the material which passes through the smallest screen in the anthracite-breaker. The smallest size of commercial anthracite is known as No. 3 buckwheat, barley, or bird's-eye coal, and is ordinarily made through a round-punched plate having openings 3/16 in. in diameter, and over a round-punched plate with opening 3/32 in. or 1/16 in. in diameter. Thus culm will consist of coal, bony coal, slate, gravel, iron pyrite, etc., ranging in size from ? 3/32 in. down to dust. Other local terms for culm are " slush," " silt," and " dirt." The first experiments towards the utilization of anthracite culm by briquetting, and the first briquetting-work done in this country, were in 1872 at Port Richmond Piers, Philadelphia, Pa., by E. F., Loiseau.1 Clay was used as a binder and the finished briquette was water-proofed with shellac, etc. Excessive cost was given as the reason for discontinuing work at this plant. The Delaware k Hudson Co., in 1876, built a plant at Rondout, N. Y., which operated until 1880. Gas-tar was used as a binder, and anthracite screenings were briquetted for engine fuel. Excessive cost, poor results in firing, and the tendency of the fuel to cut the boiler-flues were given as the reasons for discontinuing the manufacture. The next plant was built by E. F. Loiseau about 1878, at Nesquehoning, Pa., near the No. 1 or Nesquehoning colliery

Sep 1, 1911

By H. Merton Ruth

THE northern anthracite fields, although facing the same economic problems as the southern fields, are confronted with the additional problem of fast dwindling reserves of anthracite which can be conventionally and economically won. The mining of coal which remains in thin beds and the recovery of pillars from areas heretofore considered unrecoverable, either by reason of cost or surface restriction, pose problems of in- creasing importance to the economic life of the northern field operations. Successful approaches have Been made to this problem and other work is being performed that holds promise. There exists in the northern anthracite field millions of tons of solid coal, the recovery of which has not been too successful due to the following inherent operating faults: inability to concentrate producing areas; the great quantities of rock to be cut and handled, lack of consideration of proper sequence and speed of second mining, and the continued use of the mine car as the basis of payment. A mining system that has successfully solved these major problems has been in operation in the Scranton area since 1944. Over 1% million tons have been produced from veins varying from 3 to 4% ft thick by this method, which is known as the multiple panel-triangular system-conveyor mining.

Jan 1, 1950

By GEORGE W. HARHIS

IN the earlier period of anthracite-ruining, much coal was wasted, both underground and in the culm-banks on the surface. Such waste is common in the development of new mining districts, in which, as a rule, only the richest material can be profitably treated. In the anthracite-region, special causes operated to increase this evil. The mines were generally operated under 20-year leases, and royalties were paid upon such coal only as was actually marketed. The lessees consequently cared for immediate profit only. They were- not bound to win all the coal they exposed, or to leave it in such condition that their successors could win it. Nor was it their interest or duty to educate consumers in the use of their product. The market called for coal of large sizes ; and such coal they furnished, throwing away the rest. Any pains taken by them to bring about a more rational use of coal by their consumers would have borne fruit, after their leases had expired, to the benefit of somebody else. A full statement of the situation wits given in 1893, in the report of the State Commission, appointed in 1889 to investigate the subject.` That body included the names of Heber S. Thompson, William Griffith and the late Eckley B. Coxe.2 Its report gives special attention to the utilization of the old culm-banks.

Nov 1, 1905

By Donald Markle

ANTHRACOAL is a mixture of small particles of anthracite coal and a matrix of practically pure carbon, formed from the distillation of coal-tar pitch or other suitable bitumen. It is a hard, dense, homogeneous mass, with a silvery luster and in color varies from silvery to grayish black. When pushed from the oven, it develops only partly the fingerlike structure of coke; but, unlike coke, it has a tendency to remain in blocky masses. When struck with a hammer or passed through crushing rolls, it breaks with an irregular fracture, similar to anthracite, but with very little fines. Due to its density, anthracoal is harder, tougher, and stronger than coke. The results of a test made by the blast-furnace department, of the Bethlehem Steel Co., on two barrels of anthracoal are given in Table 1. TABLE I.-Results of Shatter Tests on Anthracoal and Coke Anthracoal Test Good Blast-furnace Coke First Second Barrel Barrel Moisture, per cent 0.77 0.76 Under 5, variation not over 3 points Sieve test Through 2-in. screen, per cent 7.71 7.29 Under 40 Through 1-in. screen, per cent 1.37 1.56 Through ½ -in. screen, percent 0.93 1.08 Under 8 Over 2-in. screen, per cent 92.29 92.71 Over 60 Shatter test Through 2-in. screen, per cent 10.06 ' 12.40 1 Under 16 Through 1-in. screen, per cent 2.66 2.06 Through ½ -in. screen, per cent 1.80 1.26 Over 2-in. screen, per cent Hardness number 86.40 86.10 Over 81 Analysis Ash, percent 16.64 16.48 Under 11 Sulfur, per cent 1.17 1.10 Under 0.95 Volatile matter, per cent 0.77 0.27 Fixed carbon, percent 82.59 83.25 Over 87

Jan 8, 1921

By G. Geremia, M. I. Serrano, L. Costa, Strohaecker

The advances in electronics and the development of more efficient algorithms, allow for the designing of more complex and sophisticated automated systems. The new devices include lighter, faster, reliable, and stronger robot manipulators. One available technology, with relatively low cost, is a simple robot manipulator controlled by remote control. The device has been designed to be used in both mining and law enforcement, where it can be useful for inspection, rescue, gas analysis, and even to manipulate dangerous objects, such as explosives. The applications may even include the rescue of trapped miners in risky environments. The major advantage is the fact that the robot can be controlled with a remote and monitored through a video camera, minimizing human exposure to hazardous areas, where robots can perform tasks in an aggressive atmosphere and confined spaces. This article presents a mining robot manipulator controlled by remote control, using video cameras for positioning and sensors for movements, which are located on the operator's arm. With this system, it is possible to create a sensation of virtual reality, allowing easy operation for anyone trained in dealing with explosives, rescues, or other dangerous tasks. Blasting and mining are becoming perfect applications for robots, and its use should increase very soon. The results are discussed and presented for the brand new Xiru 01 robot manipulator.

Jan 1, 2010

By S. A. Sanderson

The last two decades have witnessed the resurgence in popularity of a century old tool for shaping laws and public policy – the ballot initiative. In recent years, anti-mining special interests have used the initiative process to secure voter approval of measures to ban modern surface mining for gold and silver. In November 1998, voters in Montana approved such a measure1 – the effects of which have been devastating to the mining industry in that state. In November 1999, anti-mining groups sought to place a nearly identical provision on the general election ballot in Colorado. They did not succeed, but the battle over mining’s future continues in the most important forum of all – the court of public opinion. The Colorado measure failed, in large part, because its proponents failed to convey a positive environmental theme. The mining industry also exercised early-on the rights available under state law for administrative and judicial review of the initiative, instead of relying upon the limited relief that would have been available had it waited until after the secretary of state approved the measure for the November election ballot. This article will summarize the ballot initiative process in Colorado and the proceedings that took place over Initiative No. 215.

Jan 1, 2001

By Osamu Yamamoto

In antibacterial evaluation of carbon-ceramic composites, we prepared two type composites with emphasis on carbon-ZnO system; one was porous carbon materials containing ZnO nano-particles and another was porous ZnO coated with carbon thin film. Porous carbon samples containing ZnO at highly dispersed state were prepared by carbonizing the resin exchanged by Zn2+ ion. Porous ZnO coated with carbon thin film was obtained by the pyrolysis of poly (vinyl alcohol). Antibacterial activity of these composites obtained was evaluated by measuring the changes in electrical conductivity with bacteria growth. The antibacterial activity on the composites increased with the increase of t he amount of ZnO in composite and decreased with the increase of carbonization temperature. The antibacterial activity for Staphylococcus aureuswas found to be stronger than that for Escherichia coli. No activity of the carbon samples without ZnO was observed. The occurrence of antibacterial activity was supposed to be due to the generation of hydrogen peroxide from ZnO in composite. In the present work, antibacterial activity of carbon-ZnO composites was studied in the details.

Jan 1, 2006

By Cz. Mazanek

Specific biostimulating and anticancerous properties have been observed in peat, Ash Vacanta, and in an amorpous silica that is obtained as a by-product of alumina production from Turow clay in Poland. The anmphous silica was characterized and found to have a large specific surface area. This property may account for the beneficial characteristics of the material.

Jan 1, 1989

By Ronald E. Heuer, Debra L. Virgens

INTRODUCTION Behavior of clay soils in response to tunneling is reasonably well understood by reference to the tunnel stability factor NT = Pz/su (Peck, 1969; Heuer, 1974). With this analysis tool, care must be taken to use a value of clay shear strength which represents the actual mass strength, considering such factors as slickensided fissures often found in stiff and hard clays. Behavior of clean sand and gravel soils is also reasonably well understood. Above the water table these soils must be assumed to act as running ground unless they are known to have significant cementation or have a very dense and angular interlocked grain structure. Below the water table they must be tunneled using some form of groundwater control such as dewatering, grouting, freezing, or internal fluid pressure in the tunnel such as compressed air or a slurry tunneling machine. The internal fluid pressure must approximately balance the external water head. Without such precautions these soils behave as flowing ground and may yield large volumes of water flow into the tunnel. A wide range of very fine sand, silty sand, cohesionless silt, and clayey sand soils exist in nature in a variety of geologic environments. The behavior of these soils in response to tunneling, and guidelines for anticipating their behavior, are not well described in the literature. Because of their content of fine particles, these materials may behave as if they initially have appreciable cohesion and moderate to low permeability. They may exhibit significant standup time, and require tunnel internal fluid pressure (compressed air or slurry pressure) less than the full external water head. It is important to be able to estimate the behavior of these soils when planning construction methods. For example, if the external water pressure is 140 kPa (20 psi), but soil stability at the tunnel face can be achieved as a compressed air pressure of 80 kPa (12 psi), a large cost savings may result.

Jan 1, 1987

By D. B. Desai, J. T. Waggoner, J. S. Hill, R. R. Redd, S. J. Klein

The 13 km (8 mile) long Riverside Badlands Tunnel is planned for construction starting in 1998. Extensive geotechnical investigations indicate that the 3.7 m (12 ft) finished diameter tunnel will be excavated through soft ground, weak sedimentary rocks, and heavily fractured metamorphic rocks. Nearly 80 percent of the tunnel will be excavated beneath the groundwater level. Tunneling conditions are expected to range from raveling and over-stressed in the sedimentary rocks, to blocky and seamy/crushed with some squeezing in the metamorphic rocks. Two alluvium reaches will require dewatering. The variable and interspersed ground conditions are expected to be a key factor in selection of tunneling methods, equipment, and initial support.

Jan 1, 1997

Prevent collisions between large mine-haulage trucks and smaller vehicles parked in areas not visible to the haulage-truck operator, Approach Two electronic systems were developed to detect the presence of vehicles in the blind areas of a parked haulage truck. The systems can warn haulage truck operators of presence of vehicles that are blocked from view. The systems do not apply for trucks in travel. How It Works The systems use electronic transmitting techniques-one system is based on low-frequency radio waves and the other on very-high-frequency radio waves. Each system requires that a signal transmitter be mounted on the smaller vehicle to be detected. Continuous signals from this transmitter are sensed by receiving antennas mounted on the right front and rear of the large haulage truck. Upon receiving a signal, the receiver energizes warning lights and a buzzer in the cab of the haulage truck, alerting the operator to a possible collision hazard. Detection distance is adjustable, depending upon the size of the haulage truck, but a minimum of 30 feet was the design goal.

Jan 1, 1990

By Katerina Kryst

Antimony and bismuth are two of the elements that need to be removed from copper electrolyte to ensure a trouble free operation as well as to maintain copper cathode purity. One method to control these impurities is the use of aminophosphonic ion exchange resins. Antimony is present as both Sb(III) and Sb (V). Sb(V) is very difficult to remove from these resins, requiring excess amounts of highly concentrated hydrochloric acid. In industry this affinity of Sb(V) for the resin causes a buildup of Sb(V) and degrading resin performance due to continual reduction of resin capacity. A new method for regeneration of aminophosphonic resins loaded with Sb(V) has been developed, which utilizes catalytic regeneration of the resin. Ion exchange can then be utilized for continual control of Sb and Bi in copper electrolyte.

Low tonnage quartz vein-hosted stibnite lodes are widely distributed in rocks of the Tasman Fold Belt System in eastern Queensland, with particular concentrations in the Hodgkinson - Broken River Fold Belt and to a lesser extent in the Gympie Province of the New England Fold Belt: Higher grade deposits have been worked intermittently on a small scale since 1873, resulting in the production of about 5500 tonnes of antimony ore/concentrate with an estimated grade of about 55% Sb. Future production of antimony may be as a by-product from deposits, currently being explored/mined for gold in the Hodgkinson/Mitchell River area and the Amanda Bel goldfield. Establishment of an antimony processing plant in Queensland using the Quelar Process would provide a more reliable market for small producers and could stimulate future exploration and production.

Jan 1, 1990

By D. H. C. Griffiths, D. R. Davis, D. B. Paterson

Consolidated Murchison Limited is the only primary producer of antimony in South Africa, producing approximately 18 per cent of the total world production. This paper gives a technical review of the history, occurrence, mining, and metallurgy of antimony at Consolidated Murchison. World antimony markets are also discussed, together with the end-uses.

Jan 1, 1986

By B. St. Pierre

"The alchemists' symbol for antimony is a diamond with a dot in the centre. The latin name ''stibium'' gives this mineral its chemical symbol ""Sb"" and the name to the principal ore containing antimony. This is Stibnite, a sulphide of antimony, and the valuable mineral at the Consolidated Durham operations. Stibnite chemically pure contains 71.69% antimony metal.Antimony is used in many forms, as an alloy in the production of metal products and as chemical compounds of oxides and sulphides. In Biblical times, antimony was used as a medicine and as eyebrow makeup.Today, the largest single use of the metal is as a hardener and strengthener of lead, and corrosion inhibitor in storage batteries. New applications for antimony in its oxide form as fire retardants are broadening the overall demand especially in the chemical, plastic and fabric industries. Other users include the Military for such things as tracer bullets, shrapnel, smoke screens and flame throwers. An unusual property of the metal is that it contracts when heated which has made it a valuable alloying metal in the printing industry, for heat shields on re-entry vehicles used in the space programmes, and also for the manufacture of bearings."

Jan 1, 1977

By E. A. Román

An ion exchange pilot plant, provided by Mesco Inc., was tested for antimony control in the electrolyte at three Chilean tankhouses for copper electrorefining: Chuquicamata, Potrerillos and Enami -Ventanas. The pilot plant, with a nominal extraction capacity of 1.2 kg Sb/day, worked connected to both experimental and commercial circuits, performing a total of 310 loading and elution cycles. An innovation in this process is the use of a chelating organic elution reagent, which presents some advantages over the traditional 6N HCI. This new eluent is amenable to continuous regeneration and recycling with high recovery efficiency. Antimony removal starting at initial, concentrations of 0.5 to 0.6 g/l of Sb down to steady concentrations of 0.1 to 0.0.6 g/l Sb, resulted in the production of High Grade copper cathodes with Sb contents below 0.1 ppm. Anodic slimes showed Sb contents below 1%.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. L. Leblanc, J. F. Burzynski, D. J. Mossman

A strong heterogeneity in the distribution of Sb+/-Au deposits exists within the North Atlantic Acadian-Hercynian domain. This is reflected in the regional disparity in Sb production among the various producing countries. This work focuses on the nature and distribution of Sb+/-Au occurrences in the Acadian-Hercynian domain. A summary listing of the general features of Sb-Au deposits found in this area is given

Dec 1, 1991

By C. S. Simons

Manufacturers of filtering, thickening or clarifying equipment, have been active in developing machines to meet increasingly rigid operator requirements, and the innovations resulting from this effort are moving into commercial applications. In general, the results of these applications are reported to be good. Little has been reported on progress in theory. The growing insistence on the part of pollution control agencies that waste water discharged into streams contain less and less suspended solids is being felt by a broad cross section of industry. A new clarifier, based on the often rediscovered fact that suspended solids settle more rapidly in inclined channels, is being marketed by Neptune MicroFLOC of Corvallis, Ore. This unit employs modules of inclined tubes, mounted in the upper zone of the clarifier, which carry the water flow. These were developed for light solids, such as those encountered in domestic water treatment and in paper mill waste water. In these applications, flow rates up to about three times those permissible in conventional clarifiers are reported to give comparable overflow turbidity. By combining these units with mixed media filters, high clarity may be obtained with minimum capital. Use of such units in the metallurgical industry, particularly where water reuse or effluent quality is important, should grow.

Jan 1, 1970