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By David G. Dixon

Although the kinetics of leaching processes are of paramount importance in the design and analysis of nearly all hydrometallurgical flowsheets, these concepts remain poorly understood and, as a result, are only rarely applied to mass and heat balance models. In this second of two papers, we demonstrate how simple yet powerful models of leaching kinetics and other rate processes may be added to mass and heat balance models, and apply these concepts using a spreadsheet model of a simplified pyrite autoclaving flowsheet. In particular, we focus on the interpretation and scale-up of batch leaching data, and on simple means for modeling other phenomena commonly associated with leaching, such as reagent depletion, gas-liquid mixing, and the precipitation of oxides and basic salts.

Jan 1, 2002

By A. P. N. Sutherland

Pipelines for transporting high concentration slurries are often designed using methods applicable to homogeneous non-Newtonian laminar flow. Many industrial slurries though comprise coarse particles in a non-Newtonian carrier fluid, and existing experimental evidence from tests with such slurries demonstrates that they are not homogeneous. Under laminar shear conditions the coarse particles settle, even in statically stable carrier fluids. To understand this better, the Institute of Materials Science and Technology (IMST) at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) is conducting ongoing research into the flow of these high concentration non-Newtonian settling slurries. Since pressure gradient and flow rate measurements alone are insufficient to adequately model the flows, an electrical resistance tomography (ERT) instrument developed by the University of Cape Town (UCT)was incorporated into the pipe test loop to determine pipe cross-section concentration and velocity profiles. The software developed to do this is modular and allows different image reconstruction and cross-correlation algorithms to be implemented and tested without significantly changing the rest of the application. At a total frame capture rate of 566 frames/sec a 2.67 GHz Intel Celeron processor with 500 MB of RAM is fast enough to calculate and display velocity profiles in ?real-time? at an update rate of one profile every two seconds. Examples of experimental concentration and velocity profiles obtained using the system are shown and some proposed improvements/extensions to the system are listed.

Jan 1, 2008

By Verne E. Hooker

Near-surface temperature measurements in two granite quarries show that diurnal temperature variations are significant to a depth of 1 or 2 feet, and annual temperature variations are significant to a depth of at least 25 feet. As a result, ground stress anomalies due to temperature exist near the surface, and their magnitude depends upon the time of day and the time of year. Rock stress and corresponding temperature measurements were made in one granite quarry over a rock temperature range of 33° to 81° F. Measured rock temperatures show good agreement with values predicted from one-dimensional heat flow theory. Calculated and measured stress-temperature coefficients for the two granites in this study are given. Thermally induced stress variations in near-surface rocks tested were as large as 1,690 psi from combined daily and seasonal temperature changes.

Jan 1, 1971

By Glenville A. Collins

IN 1932, Horace Onyett at Oroville, California, built a practical floating washing plant along the general lines as now known, using a 24 in. by 12 ft. trammel; it was fed with a ½ yard dragline bucket, rated then at 200 yards per day. Onyett dubbed his plant a 'Doodlebug' which name has clung to this type of operation ever since. In general, the 'Doodlebug' dredge is the outgrowth of the depression of 1929, wherein many dirt contractors had surplus idle equipment and a few of them ventured to use it for placer mining. Many such plants were impractical and poorly designed and adapted often to locations not suited to the purpose. However out of the general idea came refinements until today dragline dredging has a very definite place in the gold production of the world. Many of the early operators, being mainly contractors without mining experience or technical knowledge of gold saving, geology, or mechanical design, naturally went through stages of trial and error until a workable unit became standard practice. Credit should be given Bodenson Iron Works of San Francisco, who did a notable job of pioneering and building of floating washing plants; also, to Lord and Bishop, contractors of Sacramento, who were among the early operators, and to several others who built and rebuilt their plants until the weak spots were strengthened to take the beating required, and yet deliver a high degree of efficiency.

Jan 1, 1945

By C. Okrusch, C. Roos, M. Akers, S. Rosenthal

Modern mining consistently faces controversy. Public sentiment impacts the permitting and development of mines, so a quality public relations (PR) program for mining companies may improve society’s impression of the mining industry. Developing mines face more permitting challenges than operating mines, which stems from a lack of societal trust given the history of mining and its impact on the environment. Two case studies were selected based on the type of public controversy they face to demonstrate how pervasive permitting issues are in industry. Both Pebble Mine, owned by Northern Dynasty Minerals (NDM), and Black Butte, owned by Sandfire Resources America Inc (SRA), experienced difficulties with their water permitting due to potential risks their mine developments posed to local fish populations. Pebble has, to date, failed in all of their attempts to become permitted due to concern for the water and the fish. Black Butte dealt with the same problems, on a smaller scale, but was able to become permitted. These two mines will be discussed in detail including local history, mine setting, mining history in America, prevalent culture groups, technology development, and intercultural communication competence (ICC). The mining industry needs to evaluate its ICC skills since ICC directly determines the effectiveness of PR. Based on Barna’s Stumbling Blocks for intercultural communication, methods for improving the mining industry’s PR will be suggested in the hope of easing the permitting process for future mines by developing ICC.

Mar 2, 2022

By K. C. Dean

The combination of flotation and chemical processing methods presented in this report of the Bureau of Mines enabled treatment of typical low-grade ferberite ores from the Boulder County, Colo. area, to produce specification-grade synthetic scheelite. The overall recovery from ore to synthetic scheelite was 87 percent, based on a flotation recovery of 93 percent and a similar recovery in chemical processing. Preliminary mineral dressing studies revealed that the physical and mineralogical nature of typical ferberite ores precluded high recovery of tungsten in plus 60-percent-W03-grade products by these methods. Therefore, the flotation research was focused on attaining plus 90-percent recovery in a concentrate containing 10 percent W03. Detailed studies were made (1) to establish optimum grinding conditions for obtaining adequate mineral liberation, (2) to develop collecting and modifying reagent combinations that would enable controllable selective flotation, and (3) to define the influence of different pulp solids, temperature, pH, and time for conditioning and for the rougher and cleaner flotation stages.

Jan 1, 1961

By T. F. Tomb

Although the number of operating longwalls (approximately 100) has remained relatively constant over the last five years, longwall production levels have significantly increased and have in some cases more than doubled. As a result of the increase in production, control of respirable dust continues to be a problem. Therefore, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Pittsburgh Health Technology Center, Dust Division, initiated a study to investigate the availability and adequacy of technology for controlling dust on longwall mining operations. The study involved 23 longwall mining operations in three different Coal Mine Safety and Health Districts. Each operation was visited for a full shift. Respirable dust samples were collected on face personnel and at fixed locations along the face. Parameters in place to control dust were noted with special emphasis being placed on obtaining quantitative data relative to ventilation, headgate dust controls, cutting drum sprays, external machine sprays and cutting sequence. Attempts were made to correlate dust control parameters in place at the time of the visit to dust concentrations measured at the tail, on the tail shearer operator and to the average concentration of dust determined from averaging all the measurements from the occupations sampled. The parameters in place to control dust were also compared to the gamut of technology known to be available to control dust. This paper presents a discussion on the effectiveness of the parameters in place to control dust and on the availability of technology for the control of dust on longwall mining operations.

Jan 1, 1990

By Neha Shukla, Nikhil Dhawan

The current study examines the extraction of rare-earth elements from trichromatic phosphor of discarded tube lights via baking processes. The Y2O3: Eu3+ (YOX) and BaMgAl10O17: Eu2+ (BAM) phases completely decomposed during acid and alkali baking with > 90% Eu and Y extraction. Prior, selective acid leaching of the YOX phase enhanced the acid baking process at a lower temperature (< 230 ℃). Feed acid baking showed a maximum 87% Tb, 36% La, and 17% Ce extraction at 500 °C, 0.5 h, 1 ml/g H2SO4, and alkali baking yielded 16.1% Tb, 86% La, and 73% Ce at 300 ℃, 0.5 h, 50 wt.% NaOH. The acid baking of the acid-leached phosphor yielded 72% Tb, 95% La, 63% Ce, ~ 95% Y, and Eu extraction at 300 °C, 0.5 h, 1.05 mL/g H2SO4. Lower Tb extraction during the acid baking of acid-leached phosphor can be attributed to the formation of Ba3Tb( PO4)3 and BaTbO3 phases. Insoluble Si3Tb5 phase formation and partial decomposition of CeMgAl11O19: Tb3+ (CMAT) phase in the alkali baking route leads to lower Tb extraction. The acid baking process is suitable for extracting Tb, Eu, and Y, whereas the alkali baking process is suitable for La and Ce. The thermal analysis of phosphor and flux interaction depicts that alkali baking is less energy-intensive than acid baking. In comparison, the one-step acid baking process and the two-step alkali baking process yielded desirable extraction results (87% Tb, total RE (rare earth) 78.5% and 50.4% Tb, total RE 59.3%). The product yield in the acid and alkali baking route of feed, acid-leach phosphor is 36%, 29%, and 39%, 28.2%, respectively, with ~ 98% mixed rare-earth oxide purity.

May 5, 2022

By Robert S. Warfield

The Federal Bureau of mines and U.S. Geological Survey conducted exploratory investigations and geologic mapping in the Wishbone Hill district of the Matanuska coalfield almost continuously from 1942 through 1958. These investigations delineated reserves of high-volatile bituminous coal necessary to supply the rapidly expanding military and civilian requirements in the Anchorage area. This report describes the program conducted by the Bureau of Mines from 1949 through 1958, and briefly summarizes previous investigations, the results of which have already been published. The coal-bearing structure on both the north and south limbs of the prominent Wishbone Hill syncline was explored by 8,719 feet of churn drilling and 25,460 feet of diamond-core drilling. A total of 33 holes were drilled ranging in depth from 60 to 2,114 feet. To supplement the drilling operations, bulldozer and dragline trenching were undertaken at key locations; about 25,000 cubic yards of dragline trench were excavated in the vicinity of the old Premier mine.

Jan 1, 1962

By Alvin M. Cummings

During the period from June to September 1943, the Bureau of Mines undertook an investigation of the Vial mine, near the village of Linden I in Iowa County, Wis., as part of a general investigation of the zinc-producing area of southwestern Wisconsin. The work was done when every effort was being made to increase the production of metals important to the Nation&apos;s war program. The Bureau completed 29 churn-drill holes aggregating 3,348 feet of bore in areas immediately north and west of the old Vial mine, which had been worked intermittently between 1908 and 1939. The drilling supplemented a previous drilling program by the lessees and disclosed the presence of two significant zones of mineralization.

Jan 1, 1948

By J. E. Danoczi

ABSTRACT A diamond processing plant is being designed for the Star–Orion South diamond project in central Saskatchewan. Key to the plant is diamond liberation, which occurs in the comminution section and is the process of breaking up kimberlite rock as gently as possible to minimize diamond damage, particularly in larger, high-value diamonds. Kimberlite from the crater area of a volcanic pipe is generally softer than kimberlite from the diatreme zone. Softer kimberlite, comprising the majority of Star– Orion South deposits, can be readily broken up using abrasion and attrition by autogenous grinding mills, the preferred comminution method for minimizing diamond damage.

Jan 1, 2013

By Liming Yuan

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study was conducted to model effects of coal properties on the potential for spontaneous heating in longwall gob (mined out) areas. A two longwall panel district using a bleeder ventilation system was simulated. The permeability and porosity profiles for the longwall gob were generated from a geotechnical model and were used as inputs for the three dimensional CFD modeling. The spontaneous heating is modeled as the low temperature oxidation of coal in the gob using kinetic data obtained from previous laboratory scale spontaneous combustion studies. Heat generated from coal oxidation is dissipated by convection and conduction, while oxygen and oxidation products are transported by convection and diffusion. Unsteady state simulations were conducted for three different US coals and simulation results were compared with some available test results. The effects of coal surface area and heat of reaction on the spontaneous heating process were also examined.

Jan 1, 2008

By P Paredes, T Leaño, D Gajardo, C Tramón, S Peñaloza

The definition of an ore handling system and its consequent layout design is of crucial importance in cave mining projects. It not only represents the main driver in the production capacity and reliability of the mining system, it is also a fundamental variable in the footprint’s development time and cost.In recent decades, load-haul-dump (LHD) tramming distance optimisation through the allocation of several orepasses inside the footprint has been the most common practice in ore handling system layout definition at Codelco’s operations. Today, the improvement of existing technology, such as higher-capacity LHDs and jaw-gyratory crushers, and intensive preconditioning techniques to improve fragmentation allow the conceptualisation of simple and highly productive ore handling system layouts for wide caving areas that avoid the complexity and high cost of developing numerous orepasses inside the footprint.The initial macroblocks of the Chuquicamata underground mine project (PMCHS) consider an ore handling system layout in which LHDs dump into orepasses located inside the footprint area. The ore is then transferred into crusher chambers located below the production level, where it is crushed by jaw crushers and then conveyed to surface. In an effort to reduce development time and costs, a new ore handling system layout for the PMCHS experimental macroblocks was engineered using improved technologies and techniques in a simpler mining system. This paper compares the new ore handling system layout for the project’s experimental macroblocks with the traditional LHD-orepass layout in terms of production capacity, reliability, development time and cost.CITATION:Paredes, P, Gajardo, D, Lea&#241;o, T, Pe&#241;aloza, S and Tram&#243;n, C, 2016. Simplifying the ore handling system through the use of current technology at Chuquicamata underground mine project, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 571–584 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

By Mark McComb, Geoffrey R. Lane

"Over the years many differing approaches have been developed to clearly understand the nature, mode of occurrence, associations and deportment of both free-milling and refractory gold in a wide variety of differing geologic environments and plant products. Many approaches can be taken to characterize the ore which may occur as complex fine grained gold, ultra-fine grained gold, coarse nuggetty gold, complex Asrich refractory gold and double-refractory gold. The approach taken in assessing small drill core composites from Novo Resources Beaton Creek Paleoplacer gold project located in the Pilbara region of Australia was complicated by the nature of the ore, the small amount of sample available from current exploration work, and the gold grade and the grain size distribution. In this case the scope of the study was limited by sample availability although significant amounts of valuable information was also gained. This gold characterization study included the following elements:??Size fraction assays??Ore microscopy??Preparation of heavy mineral concentrates from sized fractions (screening) of crushed or milled head using heavy liquids and Superpan table.??Systematic scans of the heavy mineral concentrate, middling, and tailing fractions using TIMA Automated Scanning Electron Microscopy integrated with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometry to provide semi-quantitative elemental analysis of the individual grains found in the sample.The unique methodology employed to detail the gold deportment was the combination of the Tescan Integrated Mineral Analyser (TIMA) and the Oxford INCA GSR software. This technique not only allowed us to document the deportment of gold but recognize other associated minerals, which included gersdorffite, chalcopyrite, uraninite, coffinite, brannerite and several Rare Earth-bearing minerals.INTRODUCTIONGold deportment studies are commonly carried out on preliminary gold exploration projects in order to determine the various limitations, which may effect processing of the potential ore. This is often because it may be expected that there may be a refractory component to the gold, which may limit physical separation techniques and suggest more costly hydrometallurgical techniques. Often when carrying out gold deportment studies the mineralogical methods may be limited to assuming that the gold will be fine and easily found using standard techniques of optical microscopy or Scanning Electron Microscopy. This may not always be the case as various geological environments may pose their own individual problems to determining the deportment of the gold grains."

Jan 1, 2015

By K. G. Black

When one&apos;s attention moves from the control of a process unit or from the control of a department of similar units, to the control of an entire plant, two things must change. One is the techniques of control, and the other, the goal or purpose of control. The goal is no longer maintaining a certain quality of product or maintaining a particular flow rate through a process unit. The goal becomes economic - how to make the most money out of the plant. The principal control techniques become those of optimizing, rather than regulating. It is quite common to discuss the control of an entire plant in terms of three levels of control l; regulation, supervision, and optimization. Regulation is the control of inputs to a process unit at desired values. This is accomplished by two or three mode analog controllers or DDC loops. The second level of control is the selection of these desired values, e.g., set-points of the regulation controllers. The third level is to make such adjustments or corrections to the supervisory calculations so as to optimize the plant profit. It is immediately evident that supervisory control and optimizing control are intimately related, and a distinct dividing line cannot always be drawn between the two. Some authors prefer to add even more levels such as adaptive control and management information systems, but we believe our point is well made without further division of the functions which are necessary for complete plant control. To accomplish the economic goal, that is, the optimizing (maximizing) of the profit of a mineral processing plant, the plant should ideally be operated as if it were a separate company, buying its raw materials on the open market and selling its products on the open market. While petrochemical plants endeavor to operate in that manner, unfortunately this is not true of a mineral processing plant. The plant manager has to accept the amount and quality of ore the mining department delivers to him, and the products (concentrates) are delivered to another department of the company for further refining. In some cases he may sell

Jan 1, 1972

By Johnson Crawford, Alan H. Hoagland

Zinc mining at Jefferson City began in 1854 with small scale production of oxidized ore from open pits. Significant production began in 1913 with the development of the Mascot Mine by the American Zinc Company. In 1965, four flotation mills were treating crude ore at the rate of about 12,000 tons per day and the Mascot-Jefferson City district currently is the largest zinc producing area in the United States. The producing mines, Mascot, Young, North Friends Station, New Market Zinc, Grasselli, Davis-Bible, Coy, and the Jefferson City, are 15 to 28 miles northeast of Knoxville in the Valley and Ridge physiographic province, an area of gentle relief lying between the more rugged Great Smoky Mountains and the Cumberland escarpment. The ore is strata bound, occurring essentially within a stratigraphic range of 200 feet in the Lower Kingsport and Upper Longview formations of Lower Ordovician age. In the lower strata of the mineralized section, the ore generally is found in coarsely crystalline elastic dolomite breccia containing silica and chert debris within a sequence of aphanitic limestones. The upper strata of the mineralized section are fine-grained primary dolomites that, in the ore zones, have been fragmented in mosaic patterns by solution collapse with the interfragmental space filled by white gangue dolomite and sphalerite. The mineralogy is unusually simple, sphalerite being the only important sulfide. Pyrite is very sparse. Dolomite gangue is abundant, silica was deposited in quite small amounts, calcite is minor, and fluorite and barite are very rare. The principal ore controlling structures are rubble breccia zones that were formed during the post-Lower Ordovician-pre-Middle Ordovician erosion interval by supergene solution as a phase of the development of a regional karst system of underground drainage that extended to' depths of at least 800 feet. The major Appalachian orogenic structures are post-ore and have been superimposed on the ore bodies. There is substantial evidence to support the current thinking of the writers that the ore deposits were formed at a depth not exc1~eding 800 feet.

Jan 1, 1968

6784. Barnes, V. L., and Romberg, Frederick. Gravity and Magnetic Observations on Iron Mountain Magnetite Deposit, Llano County, Tex. Geophysics, Menasha, Wis., vol. 8, No. 1, 1943, pp. 32-45. An outcrop of magnetite in the Central Mineral region of Texas is explored experimentally with a dip needle and a gravity meter. Two anomalies are observed, one due to the outcropping body and one probably due to a previously unknown body close to the outcrop. The possible attitudes of the bodies are discussed, and their masses and probable dimensions are computed from the gravitational observations. - Author&apos;s abstract.

Jan 1, 1943

By Steve Cole

"The economic and strategic importance of PGE bearing deposits is fuelling renewed exploration and development efforts in the precious metals mining sector.This paper presents a review of the various techniques used in the processing of PGE bearing ores, from primary benificiation to processing routes for the different flowsheets that have been developed amongst current producers. Recent innovations such as preconcentration of ore using gravity separation, recent trends in flotation circuit design and the development of hydrometallurgical routes for the direct treatment of flotation concentrates without the need for smelting will be discussed. Data from recent projects will be presented to illustrate common characteristics of PGE ores and concentrates.INTRODUCTIONThe six platinum-group elements (PGE): ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium and platinum, together with gold and silver, are considered to be ""precious"" metals. The recent spike in platinum and palladium prices coupled with the projected increase in demand for the metals has fuelled a spate of exploration and new projects in the PGE sector. Historically primary producers of PGE metals have controlled the flow of information relating to the mining and processing of these ores into the public domain. Very little published information relating to individual operations and processes is available in comparison to the abundant literature relating to other metals.The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of the issues relating to the processing of PGE ores. Each topic discussed could easily be the topic of a paper or book and so in many cases only the surface of the topic will be scratched. An attempt has therefore been made to provide as many references as possible.This paper discusses the classification and location of PGE ores, the mineralogical factors that affect recovery of PGE's, methods currently used for recovering PGE's and process trends in PGE metallurgy."

Jan 1, 2002

By J. Bleeck, G. Mahrt

INTRODUCTION Many excellent papers have been written and presented regarding agricultural lime and the subject has been covered extensively in books concerning soil science, fertilizing, limestone, etc. We felt challenged to construct a paper that wouldn’t merely be a repetition of past presentations. Therefore, we chose to begin with factors having the most impact on plant growth realizing that the audience is likely to be relatively unfamiliar with this subject. So, we decided to dig deep into the roots of soil and plant growth science in order to better understand the significant role of limestone in this important area. The soil with the higher plants growing upon it forms an open and dynamic ecosystem in which there is flux of energy and material (heat, light, water, nutrients, mineral and organic matter, organisms). Plants root in the soil and then take up oxygen for root respiration, yielding energy for nutrient uptake, water for turgescence and transpiration and use in photosynthesis and the mineral nutrients needed for the synthesis of organic matter. Above the ground the plant takes in light energy and heat using them in photosynthesis to assimilate atmospheric CO2. Photosynthesis is the basic life process of creation. However, we will look at the root room where soil, water, air, and heat economy and the supply of nutrients determine soil fertility and the important role lime plays here. Location is the primary point to be considered when discussing agriculture (climate and soil); secondly, the dynamic and mobility of the minerals (plant nutrients) in the soil; and thirdly the conversion of organic substances into humus. And then there is a great deal of water involved in the growing process. In order to produce 1 kg of dry plant substance, 300 to 800 kg of water must be pumped through the plant and is then lost by transpiration. Cereals, vegetables, and sugar beets consume between 400 to 500 kg of water during the growing process and long-growing crops, such as alfalfa and clover, can consume 600 to 800 kg of water per kg of finished product. Without water, a plant cannot grow. (Reference 1)

Jan 1, 2006

By Georgi N. Shoushoulov, Ventsislav D. Bozhilov

The mining conditions in the Meden Rid mine at levels below 1000 m from the Earth&apos;s surface are specific and rather severe. The rock temperature is about 40-45°C. The air humidity in the workings is approx. 80-90%. There is a limited capacity for additional fresh air supply. The air supply and distribution systems in the mine are very complicated. The airflow recirculation is due to the existing arrangement of the main fans. Certain accidental phenomena are difficult to predict. All these conditions create possibilities for heat and mass exchange between the rock and the air current thus hampering the control of the ventilation and air-conditioning in the mine workings. The changes in the temperature and humidity in certain characteristic places of the development and extraction workings are predicted. The refrigeration output required and the arrangement of the air coolers are also determined. A new ventilation and air- conditioning scherne has been developed. The new ventilation- cooling designs for levels between 1000-1200 m beneath the Earth&apos;s surface are based on the use of portable refrigerating machines having low water flowrate as well as heat-insulating and waterproof materials and methods for preliminary cooling of the orebody within the mining block.

Jan 1, 1997