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By P. Beauvais

Philip Beauvais, from the Met Office's International Mining and Agriculture Department, explains the need to understand the impact of the weather and climate when developing future mine sites.

Mar 1, 2015

By Jorge Olivari Ortega

El presente texto describe la relación de las enfermedades producidas en la minas auríferas con la biografía del inca Yahuar Huacac. Este inca fue el séptimo gobernante del Tahuantinsuyo, cuyo verdadero nombre deriva de los términos quechua: yahuar "sangre" y huacac, "lloró’; del verbo huacay,"‘llorar", es decir, el que "lloró sangre". Esta anomalía de sus órganos visuales se relaciona con el "sorrompi", o inflación de los párpados que se produce por la reberveración del sol en la nieve que puede ocurrir en zonas alto-andinas (4,500 m.s.n.m.). Otras enfermedades derivadas de la minería son el "usputani", o hemorragia nasal de forma abrupta que se produce por la inadaptación a las zonas altoandninas y el " soroche" o déficit de oxígeno en la sangre. En consecuencia, el inca probablemente desarrolló estas enfermedades por su estancia en la zona altoandina.

Mar 1, 2015

By Schwartz M.

Respect for mining in Botswana is long-standing. This article looks at Africa's most transparent mining regime and some of its ambitious plans. Botswana's mining industry value is forecast to average 5.2% growth from 2014-2018 with solid growth for the diamond sector and acceleration of coal production. Respect for the country's mining regime is maintained in the Fraser Institute 2014 annual survey where Botswana occupies the 26th position of 122 administrations. Botswana's transparency is illustrated by Mupane gold mine near Francistown, Ghaghoo diamond mine in the Gope area and the Morupule coal mine

Mar 1, 2015

By María del Rosario González Moradas

El presente texto señala las diversas metodologías adoptadas para la evaluación del impacto visual de la industria extractiva en Asturias (Norte de España) mediante el empleo de las herramientas SIG. Para ello, se evaluaron individualmente el impacto visual de tres canteras de diferente tamaño y morfología, de forma que se obtuvieron las longitudes y superficies aparentemente visibles desde cualquier punto. Así también se analizó la competencia de utilizar el campo visual ocupado por la cantera, el cual se ha calculado a partir del ángulo sólido. Finalmente, se muestran los resultados de las 98 explotaciones a cielo abierto ubicadas en la región y que son adquiridos a partir del modelo digital de elevaciones de resolución 5 m y de los contornos de las zonas explotadas.

Feb 1, 2015

By Luis Vela Arellano

El presente texto describe la importancia de dos proyectos de exploración (Cotabambas y Antillas) en la producción de oro y cobre. Dichos proyectos se ubican en la franja del Balolito Andahuaylas-Yauri. La franja de edad Eoceno-Oligoceno representa el evento tectónico más importante que emplazó los más grandes depósitos de cobre en el planeta y se extiende desde el norte de Chile (Copiapó, Antofagasta, Iquique) hasta el sur del Perú (Apurímac y Cusco). En el lado de Chile, la exploración es antigua y los proyectos descubiertos ya se encuentran en explotación avanzada, mientras que del lado peruano, la exploración continúa y los yacimientos se encuentran en descubrimiento. Asimismo, se busca Mostrar el potencial de exploración y oportunidades de expansión en la región de Apurímac y Abancay.

Feb 1, 2015

By Edgar Carlos García Flores

El presente texto señala al Perú como modelo de sistemas de explotación minera para Bolivia -en tanto desarrolle, prepare y explote las minas con calidad y así incrementar la producción de sus operaciones mineras. Asimismo, describe los procedimientos idóneos para seleccionar las tablas geomecánicas, la ingeniería de explosivos, equipos de acarreo y los elementos de sostenimiento adecuados para las excavaciones subterráneas con el objetivo de tener operaciones de calidad, seguras y óptimas.

Feb 1, 2015

By Jones R. G.

Dr Pat Foster, Senior Lecturer in Mining Engineering at the UK's Camborne School of Mines, talks to Rhiannon Garth Jones about mining safety around the world, education and the future of the industry

Feb 1, 2015

By Asfa-Wossen L.

Davy saw science to be the ultimate truth. He loved the utility and permanence of it and the feeling of progression. He was a bold chemist and an inventor, but he thought like a writer

Feb 1, 2015

By Schwartz M.

Madagascar's democratic election has led to a return to its position as a preferred trade partner with the USA and a priority market with Canada. Michael Schwartz takes a look at two key mining projects in this recently reinvigorated country

Feb 1, 2015

By Schwartz M.

The current status of the heavy and light rare-earth elements outside China is reviewed. New suppliers of the light rare-earth elements are Lynas (Australia/Malaysia) and Molycorp (USA), which are anticipated to process 11 000 and up to 10 000 t/y, respectively, and the most advanced heavy rare-earth elements project is Avalon's Nechalacho project at Thor Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada. U3O8 Corp has potential rare-earth elements production, e.g. ytrrium and neodymium, from its Berlin deposit in Colombia and Namibia Rare Earth's Lofdal project (Area 4) has potential to produce an average of 1 500 t/y of separated rare-earth oxides. With regard to the three historical producers, India has some small-scale production, Brazil has been a small-volume producer and has potential for new heavy rare-earth elements production, while South Africa has no current production

Feb 1, 2015

By D. J. Scarpato

"Slope construction in shale can present some interesting challenges for geotechnical design engineers and contractors alike. There are challenges that can be expected and designed-for; however, all too frequently, such challenges manifest themselves as “surprises” in the field. Common constructability challenges can include those such as drill hole deviation during drilling for controlled blasting; and, excavation slope instability arising from inconsistent perimeter control drilling. Drill hole deviation results from the cumulative effects from both drilling mechanics and rock mass conditions. Once a hole has initiated the deviation trajectory, it is difficult to rectify drill steel position. Although such challenges are not necessarily unique to shale, they are often exacerbated by weak, weathered and transversely isotropic nature of bedrock conditions. All too often, the working assumption is that shale is “soft” and easily excavatable; however, this blanket assumption can prove to be costly. This paper is intended to provide design professionals and contractors with the practical considerations needed to avoid the “surprises” associated with drill hole deviation, and minimize the potential for costly claims.INTRODUCTIONFor all the slopes that have been excavated worldwide, and for such advancements in excavation technology and field characterization, one might be tempted to believe that the industry almost has slope development down to a science. This is frequently not the case, especially for weak/weathered and anisotropic bedrock. Excavation contractors are still pushed to the limits of what their technology can achieve, and engineers are all too often called to the field during construction, to make potentially risky onthe- fly decisions relative to excavatability, short and long-term slope stability, and project safety. Although there have been a host of other research papers and journal articles that have been written on the subject of deviation over the past 30 years (Brown, Geen, Sinha, 1981), the problems associated with drill hole deviation are still all too frequent. This fact is especially true for civil engineering surface excavations in bedrock."

Jan 1, 2015

By Z. Yanni, W. Xuan, Z. Jingyu, D. Jun

"In order to conserve the coal resources, many coal mines which have been mined begin to re-mine. Re-mining face is of complicated circumstances and coal spontaneous combustion is unknown, so experiments are designed to study the characteristics of multiple oxidized coal samples. The investigation into the oxidation of coal is conducive to the safe mining of the coal seam groups and thick coal seams. The non-caking coal is collected as coal samples. The raw coal sample with initial oxidation and the sample after second oxidation and third oxidation are obtained after a certain treatment of the coal. The temperature-programmed system, and proximate and ultimate analysis are adopted to compare the releases of gaseous products of spontaneous combustion characteristic parameters of the multiple oxidized coal sample. With the increase of oxidation times, experimental results indicate that the oxygen consumption rate, the release rate of carbon monoxide and the intensity of heat release are significantly decrease. The characteristic temperature dropped and the size of the pores in coal is smaller as well. INTRODUCTION China accounts for 13% of global coal resources [1-2]. In recent years, more and more coal mines begin to re-mine in order to conserve resources. This production mode is to mine coal pillar left by last exploitation or unavailable for mining. In the process of slicing mining for coal seam groups or thick coal seams, the second or multiple oxidation due to the mining-induced effect, may take place in the goaf of the lower seam. So the spontaneous combustion is prone to occur in this area. The study on oxidation of coal is conducive to the safe mining of the coal seam groups and thick coal seams. Scholars [3-7] have discussed the workability of re-mining for coal mines, verify the feasibility of the existing mining technology for re-mining area, and set up the prevention measures of coal spontaneous combustion. But all these measures are only based on on-site observation data, instead of experiment on spontaneous combustion characteristic parameters of re-mining coal samples which have a great importance for early prediction and forecast. The authors aim at investigating the multiple-oxidated coal spontaneous combustion law, and perfecting the coal spontaneous combustion mechanism to provide a basis for the prediction and forecast."

Jan 1, 2015

By J. W. Joubert, R. C. W. Webber-Youngman, M. D. Budeba

"SynopsisCost estimation for surface coal mines is a critical practice that affects both profitability and competitiveness. New mines require these costs to be estimated using available information before a project begins. The competitive advantage of a new mine depends on it being both efficient and cost-effective. Low-cost producing mines have a higher chance of survival in a low-price environment than do high-cost producers. The competitiveness and profitability of a coal mine is based on the costs of production and the supply position on the cost curve. There is no single method of cost estimation, and the available methods consider only one or a few variables, leaving out multiple variables that could significantly affect the estimation of mine costs. Mining companies are thus searching extensively for a method that will increase accuracy in the estimation and evaluation of mining projectsThis paper highlights the shortcomings of the available approaches and proposes a data envelopment analysis method to develop a frontier for effective surface coal mines, and the use of a parametric method for modelling the costs and productivity of new mines to ensure effective competitiveness. The models will extend the capability of estimation and the accuracy of estimates using the efficient decision-making units, by considering the optimal mine-specific and external variables affecting costs.IntroductionCoal contributes 25% of the world’s primary energy needs, after fuel oil, which contributes 35%. The world energy demand, estimated over the period 1990 to 2030, is expanding at a cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7% (Schernikau, 2010, p. 14). This emphasizes the need for enhancing the production of existing mines, as well as opening new mines in order to increase the supply of coal."

Jan 1, 2015

By R. Lapcevic, P. Lokin

"Among other components, ore body „T“ was discovered in the Bor pit copper mine at a depth of app. 500m. The ore body is relatively small: 60-65m long, 40-45m wide and up to 50m high, but with an extremely high content of copper and accompanying metals. The rock mass containing the ore body is composed of altered andesite of relatively poor physical-mechanical characteristics. The exploitation of this ore body by way of conventional mining methods was associated with high risk, cost, and potential losses of the rich ore. Due to everything specified hereinbefore, the adopted solution involved ore exploitation with complete ensuring of excavation stability, thus forming an extremely large underground opening. The excavation and supporting were performed according to the NATM principles along with applying shotcrete, 9-25 m long cables, and horizontal and vertical lattice girders. The excavation of the ore body was completed in app. 2.5 years, all the while ensuring complete stability and security of people and equipment; construction works were constantly monitored. The proposed solution for ore excavation enabled more than 95% exploitation of ore as requested by the Investor, while depletion due to waste-rock excavation was less than the allowed 5%. INTRODUCTIONThe Bor copper deposit is located in Eastern Serbia. Copper exploitation in Bor commenced as far back as 1902. A total of 26 ore bodies varying in size and valuable mineral content have been excavated so far. One of the most recent excavated ore bodies is ore body „T“, which is one of the smallest bodies by volume, but also a body with one of the largest content of copper and accompanying metals. An important fact regarding its exploitation is that it is located at a depth of app. 500 m; that its shape is irregular: 60-65 m long; 40-45 m wide and app. 50 m high; and that it lays within a rock mass of relatively poor physical-mechanical characteristics. In addition, above it, in its immediate vicinity, ore body „F“ was previously excavated and its room was refilled with backfill and water. Excavation methods common in mining practice (excavation with caving, excavation with backfilling, excavation with protective pillars) were inadequate in this case for various reasons:• The immediate vicinity of the previous ore body „F“ room could cause expansion of the caving zone also to that room, along with penetration of groundwater and flotation sludge;• Possibility of deformation expansion caused by caving as far up as the surface of the terrain, including the urban area;• Difficulties in maintaining the stability of excavation sidewalls having steep slopes and great height;• Significant loss of ore mass with a relatively high content of metals etc."

Jan 1, 2015

By K. A. Natarajan, Abha Kumari

"The effect of applied DC potentials on the bioleaching of a chalcopyrite concentrate in the presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is discussed. Copper dissolution was the highest at an applied potential of +600mV (SCE), while all the dissolved copper got cathodically deposited at a negative potential of -600mV (SCE). Electrobioleaching at an applied potential of +600mV (SCE) was established at different pulp densities as a function of time. The effect of applied potentials and electrolytic currents on the activity and growth of bacterial cells was assessed. Preadaptation of bacterial cells to the concentrate slurry and electrolytic growth conditions significantly enhanced copper dissolution. Electrochemical and biochemical mechanisms involved in electrobioleaching are illustrated with respect to oxidative dissolution and biocatalysis of anodic oxidation. IntroductionIn recent years, the bioleaching of low-grade chalcopyrite ores as well as their flotation concentrates has been receiving increased attention. Use of mesophilic bacteria such as Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in the bioleaching of chalcopyrite does not yield desirable copper extraction rates due to its easy passivation.Bioleaching of chalcopyrite using A. ferrooxidans has been reported to be very inefficient, and use of thermophilic bacteria at higher temperatures is recommended to improve its bioleaching rates. Bioleaching under imposed applied DC potentials or currents has been shown to enhance not only bioleaching kinetics but also to confer selectivity in mineral dissolution (Abhakumari, 1996; Chirpa Selvi and Natarajan, 1998; Natarajan, 1992a, b,c). Electrochemical principles governing electrobioleaching have been earlier illustrated (Jyothi et.al, 1989). The role of applied potentials on the activity and growth of A. ferrooxidans has also been studied (Natarajan, 1992b). Also, the electrochemical aspects of bioleaching of several sulfide minerals when present alone or in binary and ternary combinations have been reported (Jyothi et al., 1989). The electroleaching of copper-nickel concentrate (Natarajan et al., 1985) and electrobioleaching of sphalerite concentrates have already been studied (Selvi et al.,1998). However, it is possible to enhance the bioleaching rate of chalcopyrite in the presence of A. ferrooxidans under galvanic conditions in the presence of nobler minerals such as pyrite (Jyothi et al.,1989). Also, dissolution of chalcopyrite can be significantly enhanced under applied potential conditions. Ali Ahmadi and his coworkers recently studied the electrochemical bioleaching of chalcopyrite concentrates using moderate thermophiles (Ahmadi et al., 2010, 2011)."

Jan 1, 2015

By Harry Schnabel, Mitchell L. Fong, Douglas R. Jenevein, Thomas S. Lee

"The Warm Springs Extension (WSX) is one of a series of projects that will eventually extend the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART) from Fremont to San Jose, California. A cut and cover tunnel was used for a portion of the extension that runs through Fremont Central Park to minimize the impacts that an at-grade railway would have on the Park. A cement deep soil mix (CDSM) wall was selected by the engineer as the preferred method of providing structural support and groundwater cut-off for a portion of the tunnel where it passes through an important aquifer and near Lake Elizabeth. In addition to the CDSM wall, a jet grout plug was constructed at the base of the tunnel to provide a complete groundwater cut-off.This paper will discuss the unique quality assurance and quality control measures taken for the soil mix wall and jet grout plug as well as the methods used to repair leaks and mitigate water seepage through the exposed wall and grout plug.PROJECT DESCRIPTIONThe Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Warm Springs Extension (WSX) project is located south of the existing Fremont BART station extending 8.9-km (5.4 miles) to Warm Springs District in Fremont, California. The WSX project has been divided into two contracts with different delivery methods. In order to minimize impacts to Fremont Central Park, a subway was selected at this portion of the alignment under a conventional design/bid/build contract.The Fremont Central Park Subway (FCPS) which begins on the south side of Walnut Ave and ends just north of Paseo Padre Parkway and is about 2.3-km (1.4 miles) long. Fig. 1 shows the entire WSX and the FCPS project. The FCPS contract consists of a cut-and-cover subway box, subway transition structures, ventilation structures and a section of which transverses Lake Elizabeth (a man-made lake). The geologic conditions consist of fill (sand, silt, clay and construction debris), Young Alluvium (clay and silt), Basin Deposits (clay, silt, and sand), and Older Alluvium (sand and gravel) as shown in Fig. 2.HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE PROJECT SITEThe FCPS is dominated by two geologic features - the Hayward Fault and the Above Hayward Fault (AHF) aquifer. The AHF aquifer provides a significant source and storage of water for the local water district. The underground subway will penetrate this aquifer and is up to 11m (36 ft) below the groundwater table. No groundwater was allowed to be pumped during construction of the subway box by Alameda County Water District (ACWD). To facilitate excavation for the subway box, temporary cut-off walls and a grout plug were designed to retain and resist high differential hydraulic pressure. The following section describes the selection of a deep soil mixing method for water cutoff. Design of the grout plug has been described in Lee, et al., 2011 and Fong and Lee, 2009, and is not the focus of this paper."

Jan 1, 2015

By Y. Jiang, B. Li, R. Liu

"In this study, laboratory flow tests were conducted on 2-D artificial rock fracture network models containing a single intersection constituted by two inlet and two outlet branches. Three models with different intersecting angles of 60°, 90° and 120° were tested using both dye solution and distilled water. Constant flow rates were imposed on one inlet, and the flow patterns in the fracture intersections were captured by using a CCD camera. The test results were compared with the predictions made by numerical simulations that solved the Navier-Stokes equations. The results revealed that when Reynolds number (Re) is as low as less than 1, the intersecting angle has negligible influence on the flow rate of each branch and the flow patterns within a fracture intersection. As the interesting angle ? and Re (e.g., from 10 to 200) change, the normalized flow rates of different outlet branches change significantly, due to the inertial effect of fluid flow. These changes could be represented by a series of mathematical expressions involving Re and ?, which could be applied to fracture network models to improve their prediction accuracy on hydraulic properties (e.g., permeability and breakthrough curves of particles) of rock masses. INTRODUCTIONCoupled stress, flow, heat and mass transport are the corner stone subjects for many geoscience and geo-engineering disciplines, such as geological disposal of radioactive waste and geothermal energy exploitation. Many outstanding issues need to be investigated to enhance the knowledge on these subjects, and specifically more in-depth research in testing and modeling of the fluid flow in fractured rock masses is needed. In recent years, discrete fracture network (DFN) models have been extensively used to study the fluid flow and mass transport behaviors of fractured rock masses (e.g., Min et al., 2004; Zhao et al., 2011). In these models, each fracture is usually represented by a parallel-plate model, in which fluid flow exactly follows the cubic law. Therefore, comparative flow rate in each outlet branch of an intersection in these models only depends on its aperture. In reality, due to the surface roughness of fractures, the magnitude of mechanical aperture is usually larger than that of the hydraulic aperture of each fracture (Li et al., 2008; Xiong et al., 2011), and abundant flow patterns could exist in an intersection, influenced by its geometry, varying with changing Reynolds number (Re) (Kosakoswski & Berkowitz, 1999). Recent studies have also revealed that different mixing patterns might exist at a fracture intersection, bounded between streamline routing model and complete mixing model, that determine the final distribution of solutes in fractured rock masses (Johnson and Brown, 2001; Park et al., 2001). Numerical simulation has been the principal method adopted in previous studies, and the studies conducting flow tests on intersected fractures are less reported (Wilson & Witherspoon, 1976; Johnson and Brown, 2001). In this study, laboratory flow tests and numerical simulations by solving the Navier-Stokes equations were conducted on 2-D models containing a single intersection constituted by two inlet and two outlet branches, intersected at different angles. The main objective is to study the influence of intersecting angle on the flow behavior of the intersected fractures and the variations of flow patterns and fluid redistribution in each model along with the changes of the Re and the intersecting angle ?. The influence of surface roughness was not considered."

Jan 1, 2015

By Zhou Haizuo, Diao Yu, Zheng Gang

"The conventional design method for the embankment supported by DM columns usually assumes the simultaneous failure of all the columns. However, the progressive failure may occur in practice, especially considering that many researches have justified the critical load of DM columns is bending moment. In this study, a finite difference method was adopted to simulate the embankment on soft clay improved by DM columns. An increasing surcharge was applied on the embankment surface to investigate the mechanism of the progressive failure of columns beneath embankment. To capture the brittle bending failure of the DM columns, the model employed a cut-off method, in which the column was separated on failed section as long as the ultimate bending failure was reached. Furthermore, high-strength DM columns were used to enhance the global stability of embankment in this study. The numerical results showed that the ultimate bending failure was first reached at the column beneath embankment toe, and then a continuous collapse extended to the column beneath the embankment shoulder. It is found that the reinforcement could be obviously effective when the reinforced area of high-strength DM columns was extended to a certain area.INTRODUCTIONDeep mixed (DM) columns have been commonly used as a soil-improvement technique to increase stability and to reduce settlement of embankment. Research on failure modes of DM columns owing to embankment fill and surcharge has been the subject of interest for a number of investigators (Miyake 1991; Kitazume 2000; Han 2005; 2006).The potential failure modes of DM column include bending, inclination, shearing, rotating, soil flowing and a combination of these modes (Kitazume and Terashi 1991; Broms 1999). Many researchers have found that bending failure of DM columns was more critical than the shear failure. A centrifuge test was performed by Kitazume (2000) and the results showed that the columns failed in bending before shear failure. In addition, several numerical computations illustrated that design method using the shear strength overestimated the stability of embankment over DM columns (Han and Huang 2005; 2006; Navin 2006; Liu 2007; Wang 1996). In practice, an equivalent shear strength method based on bending failure could better reflect the stability of embankment (Zheng 2010; China Code JGJ79-2011)."

Jan 1, 2015

By Jeffrey T. McGinty, Frank M. Wheeler

Plant layout is the arrangement of equipment, process areas, departments, infrastructure, and support facilities. Plant logistics is the flow of parts, people, resources, and information throughout the production process. This chapter: outlines key factors and provides checklists to facilitate layout development; presents risk management approaches to test the logistics and functionality of alternative layouts; and uses real-world examples to illustrate effective simulation modelling to assess plant layouts.

Jan 1, 2015

By E. Siami-Irdemoosa, S. R. Dindarloo

"Pareto analysis was used to investigate the failures database of a Hitachi EX1900 hydraulic shovel over one year of continuous operation. The hydraulic system and hydraulic links, hoses and piping were identified as the most critical system and subsystem, respectively. A three-parameter gamma distribution function was identified as the best fit for a probabilistic modeling of the time between failures (TBFs). This distribution was used in a Monte Carlo reliability analysis of the hydraulic system. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), within the context of a time series analysis of the TBFs, was proposed as a viable alternative to the traditional technique of distribution fitting. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) metric was used to compare the two models. The MAPE value that resulted from the ARIMA was 66 percent smaller than that from the traditional technique in predicting the TBFs. Resumen ¦ Se usó análisis Pareto para investigar la base de datos de fallas de una pala hidráulica Hitachi EX1900 durante un periodo de un año de operación continua. Se identificó al sistema hidráulico y a los enlaces hidráulicos, mangueras y tuberías como el sistema y subsistema más importantes, respectivamente. Se identificó una función de distribución de tres parámetros gamma como el más apto para un modelado de probabilidades del tiempo transcurrido entre las fallas (Tabes por sus siglas en inglés). Esta distribución fue usada en un análisis de confiabilidad Monte Carlo para un sistema hidráulico. El promedio de movimiento integrado auto-regresivo (ARIMA por sus siglas en inglés), dentro del contexto de análisis de serie temporal de los TBFs, fue propuesto como una alternativa viable a la tradicional técnica de ajuste de distribución. Se usó el porcentaje de la media absoluta de error (MAPE) para comparar los dos modelos. El valor MAPE que resultó de la ARIMA fue 66 por ciento menor que el resultado obtenido con la técnica tradicional de predicción de TBFs."

Jan 1, 2015