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By David Lynn Passmore

The reliability of mine operators reports to the Health and Safety Analysis Center of the U.S. Deparetment of Labor of days lost from work by injured miners is .267.

Jan 1, 1985

By Joseph W. Leonard

By combining statistical methods with specialized coal technology, novel and widely applicable procedures are developed which are useful for making important decisions based on coal seam structure. By analyzing such properties as ash in visual coal types of seam cross sections and by processing the ash data to 100 gram increments of coal ranging from the top to the bottom of the seam, intraseam comparisons between data populations of samples from a given seam and a reference seam can be made. Moreover, illustrations are presented for estimating the number of drill cores required to purchase a specified level of sampling accuracy together with procedures for determining the probability that different coal scan cross sections are not unlike and by inference are therefore comparable. Such comparisons can be valuable when making important, costly and long prevaling decisions involving coal exploration, mining, preparation and utilization.

Jan 1, 1969

By D. I. Hoyer

A preliminary model has been developed for autogenous pebble milling using information obtained from studies on ball milling and SAG milling. The model treats the breakage as the weighted sum of first-order breakage of smaller particles by tumbling pebbles, non-first order breakage of larger particles which are too large to be nipped properly by pebbles, autogenouS fracture and chipping of larger lumps to form pebbles, and autogenous fracture and abrasion of pebbles. The model includes the effects of residence time distribution, classification through the exit grate, and a mass transfer relation which describes the accumulation of fine material in the mill. Example simulations are given, based on breakage parameters determined from batch grinding tests in laboratory mills. fracture breakage and abrasion. In the development of these preliminary mass balance equations it will be assumed that breakage by fracture is first-order, but this assumption will be modified later in the paper. It will also be assumed that the residence time distribution of a long autogenous mill can be described by an equivalent series of m fully-mixed mills, with a classification action imposed on the mill contents by the discharge grate. Size distributions are expressed as a v2 geometric series, numbered 1 for the top size down to n for the fines, or "sink" interval. If the holdup in the mill is W then the rate of breakage of material in size interval i is given by SiwiW, where wi is the fraction of material in size interval i, and Si is -the overall specific breakage rate of size i material (fraction per unit time).

Jan 1, 1985

The surface properties of eight coal samples were studied by measuring contact angles, coal oxidation, equilibrium moisture and film flotation. The penetration tests were carried out with do de cane, while dodecane and MIBC were utilized in batch flotation tests and in the simplified release analysis. Coal floatability results from the properties of coal organic matter and coal liberation. While the wetting of coal by water seems to be determined by the surface properties of coal organic matter, wetting by hydrocarbons correlates very well with the content of coal mineral matter.

Jan 1, 1992

By H. L. Bourne

Not everyone understands the concept of mineral royalty. Mineral royalty is a fee paid to a landowner by someone who extracts a mineral commodity from the owners property. The royalty contract between the lessor and lessee contains clauses and conditions that are significant to both parties, e.g., annual m1n1mum, escalation factor, duration of the lease, reclamation and assignability. Comparison of royalty rates requires knowledge of many conditions that influence the value of a given deposit. People in several different professions benefit from shared royalty information.

Jan 1, 1989

NICOR Mineral Ventures, Inc. retained Neyer, Tiseo and Hindo, Ltd. to evaluate the potential effects of a planned dewatering operation at NICOR's proposed, 258-acre silica sand mining facility near South Rockwood, Michigan. The ?orebody? is a horizontally extensive, friable, quartz sandstone from the Sylvania Formation which also serves as an aquifer for some of the rural, residential development near the site. We conducted an aquifer test on the site which identified the important aquifer properties. Using these data and an analytical model, we determined that the radius of influence would be expected to range up to 6000 feet from the quarry during its final development stage. An inventory of water supply wells revealed that most wells had sufficient available drawdown and would not be adversely affected. A long-term groundwater monitoring program was recommended to monitor the possible effects at some of the closest wells.

Jan 1, 1987

By D. R. Nagaraj

Adsorption of sulfide collectors such as xanthate on pyrite has been studied extensively over several decades using a wide variety of techniques. In spite of this, there are unanswered questions as to the identity of adsorbed species on pyrite surfaces -dixanthogen vs. iron xanthate complexes. Far less is known in non-xanthate collector systems. We have used Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) successfully in the past to obtain direct evidence for the identity of the adsorbed collector species on copper sulfides, galena and Cu-activated quartz. The present study is an extension of the SIMS analysis to investigate the adsorption of xanthate, dithiovhosphate, dithiocarbamate, and modified thionocarbamates and thioureas on pyrite. Adsorption of these collectors on chalcocite was also studied for comparison. An attempt was also made to obtain SIMS spectra for pure dixanthogens at room temperature. Only in the case of dithiocarbamate (DTC) was there direct evidence for the presence of not only the collector dimer, but also iron-DTC complexes. On chalcocite, only the copper-DTC complexes were detected (no dimer). In the case of xanthate, the collector molecular ion and its S adduct -which are possible fragments from dixanthogen -were detected on pyrite, along with a fragment peak: suggesting Fe2X. For dithiophosphate, the collector molecular ion and Fe(DTP)(OH) complex were detected (no dimer). For modified thionocarbamate and thiourea, adsorption on pyrite was negligible.

Jan 1, 1997

By A. W. Fletcher

A nickel-copper sulphide concentrate was treated in a pilot plant at Warren Spring Laboratory during 1961, by a hydrometallurgical roast-leach- solvent extraction process devised to cleanly separate the metal values, and produce acid sulphate liquors containing the metals. It is shown that 86 percent of the nickel and 95 percent of the copper could be leached from the calcine, after a sulphatizing roast on finely ground flotation concentrate. Iron was removed from the leach liquor by limestone neutralization with a small loss of values. Copper and nickel were separated by solvent extraction with naphthenic acid in kerosene after partial neutralization of the iron-free liquors with ammonium hydroxide. Hydrogen sulphide and chlorine were used to remove zinc (and residual copper) and cobalt impurities respectively. The recovery of pure copper and pure nickel, by electrowinning, from the acidic solvent extract strip liquors finally produced, appears technically feasible.

Jan 1, 1964

By G. R. Hart

The expected 1990 Clean Air legislation is providing electric utilities with a series of challenges and decisions as the utilities prepare strategies to comply with the resulting regulations. This paper addresses the strategy development of a coal-based utility --the legislation, the process used, the fuel issues, the options available, and the decisions to be made.

Jan 1, 1991

By V. Rajaram

A mine fire or roof collapse may necessitate the reversal of main fans to isolate the fire or provide an escapeway. Hence, to assist the mine operator in estimating the flow and pressure during reversal, Engineers International, Inc. conducted a laboratory and field study of the reverse performance characteristics of main mine fans. Laboratory tests were performed using a 96-inch (2.4 m) diameter vane axial fan to establish the forward and reverse performance characteristics under controlled conditions. Subsequently, a field test was conducted in a Colorado oil shale mine during which two 79-inch (2 m) diameter fans were reversed. The data obtained indicate that reverse performance characteristics are dependent upon the blade angle and the hub to tip ratio. The quantity in the reverse mode ranged from 30 to 65% less than in the forward mode, and the static pressure was directly proportional to the square of the quantity.

Jan 1, 1985

By W. H. Jang

Recent research has demonstrated the utility of the FTIRIIRS adsorption density equation for in-situ study of surfactant adsorption phenomena at the surfaces of reactive internal reflection elements (IREs). The FTIR/IRS adsorption density equation is given by (formula) where r is the adsorption density, A/N is the absorbance per reflection, e is the integrated molar absorptivity, 4 is the bulk concentration of the surfactant, d. is the effective thickness, and dP is the depth of penetration. Previously, the validity of the adsorption density equation had been confirmed only from solution depletion measurements with high surface area powders. Now, FTIR/IRS studies of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayer films of fatty acid transferred to the surface of a calcium fluorite IRE .clearly validate the reliability of the FTIR/IRS adsorption density equation for quantitative analysis of surfactant adsorption. In addition, it was confirmed from the observed absorption band at 1550 cm-1 that the first monolayer of the transferred fatty acid chemisorbs at the surface of fluorite.

Jan 1, 1994

By R. R. Klimpel

The industrial processing of ores containing precious metals such as gold is generally very mining site specific, e. g. McQuiston and Shoemaker (1985), vanZyl et. a1. (1988), Fuerstenau and Hendrix (1990), and Hausen et. a1. (1990). The variety of various mineral processing techniques employed is extensive and includes size reduction, size classification, gravity separation, roasting, cyanidation, chemical and/or bacterial leaching, ion exchange and/or solvent extraction, and froth flotation. Gold occurs in the earth's crust on the average in very low concentration estimated by various sources to be between two and five parts per billion. For a specific ore deposit to be considered as an economic source of gold, generally a concentration of near one part-per million (one gram / Mton) or more is required. From a mineralogical viewpoint, gold often occurs in its native or free form. However, it can also occur as gold compounds of telluride, antimony, and selenium contained within either sulfide minerals such as pyrite, arsenopyrite. and pyrrhotite or, to a less extent, within silicate, oxide, and carbonate minerals. In many locations, alloying of gold with silver is found. The optimal processing method for recovering gold is determined by many factors such as the mineralogy of the gold bearing minerals as well as the associated mineralogy of the gangue minerals, the type of liberation profile of the gold bearing minerals upon' size reduction, and the particle size of the gold itself. Free or native gold particles can vary in size from the extreme of large nuggets to very finely disseminated gold associated in a complex sulfide mineral matrix. Typically free gold particles of several hundred microns or larger are efficiently recovered by one or more of a number of gravity based techniques due to the large specific gravity differential of gold (19.3 to 15) versus typical gangue minerals (5 to 2.7). When gold is associated with a sulfide (usually pyrite) matrix, historically most industrial plants involving size reduction and subsequent liberation have operated in a size range of 50 to 80 percent less than 75 microns. Grinding finer than this has been normally not economical unless the ore has a high gold content in the feed ore.

Jan 1, 1998

By Michael Murphy, Gamal Rashed, Brent Slaker

Many underground stone mines in the United States operate on multiple mining levels. The effects of interburden thickness, pillar offset between mining levels at various depths of cover, and in situ stress conditions are poorly understood. Pillar offset is the degree to which pillars are not columnized or stacked. In this study, calibrated numerical models are used to examine limestone pillar stability in these conditions. Also, the critical interburden thickness required to minimize the interaction between mining levels is explored. The model results show that there is interaction between numerous factors that control the stability of stone pillars in multiple-level conditions. The highest degree of local pillar instability occurs when pillar overlap ranges between 10 and 70 percent. The highest degree of stability occurs when pillars are stacked.

Jan 1, 2023

By N. O. Lotter

The reliability of a set of flotation results is key to minimizing project risk, either at the commissioning of a concentrator or at the point of implementing an improvement to an existing concentrator operation. High-confidence flotation testing (HCFT) was developed for this purpose and is part of the list of technologies at various scales used by Xstrata Process Support (XPS) in addressing these projects. The methodology is based on two principles: one, to ensure that the ore sample is representative and has been well-blended and subsampled; two, to perform the flotation tests in sufficient numbers of replicates with appropriate quality controls, so as to improve the reproducibility of the test data. Across ten years of research on this methodology at Xstrata Process Support, Sudbury, several improvements to the HCFT method and complementary connections between sampling and quantitative mineralogy have been developed. Two case studies are reviewed. These show the capability of this system in both optimizing an existing concentrator operation and in serving a new mine scenario. Further work to improve the efficiency of this procedure has been identified. Key words: Flotation testing, Flotation

Jan 1, 2010

By M. M. Carpenter

Specialty chemicals are widely used in the industrial minerals process industry for many different purposes including beneficiation, filtration, flocculation, dispersion and biological control. Optimal use of such chemicals can confer benefits both in terms of cost efficiency and end product attributes. In this paper we will review recent progress in the fundamental understanding of mineral additive interactions and present data which show how optimization can lead to improved products.

Jan 1, 1999

By K. Biswas

In general, it cannot be assumed that the strength of coal pillars remains constant over long time periods. Field observations indicate that a coal seam, especially when it contains a parting layer, deteriorates over time, reducing load-bearing capacity of the pillars. This paper discusses a unique approach to determine the time dependent strength of coal pillars in the field. Three coal pillars that were developed 5, 15 and 50 years ago were chosen for the study. Holes were drilled in coal and parting layers in each pillar and the strength profiles were determined for each hole using the Borehole Penetrometer. The strength data were treated statistically to establish time dependent strength equations for different layers. The results can be used to help estimate the loss of pillar capacity over time.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. Kuchta, S. Iverson

INTRODUCTION Underground blasting with perimeter damage control can reduce the requirement for loose rock scaling and reduce the risk of ground-fall injury. In previous work Johnson and associates (2010) from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed a rock blasting perimeter damage and control design method included in the DRIFT software tool (NIOSH, 2018). This blast design software tool utilizes current methods of perimeter blasting with the added design element of a buffer row coordinated with the perimeter row to reduce perimeter damage. The coordination is in applying one of several blast damage models to calculate the damage extent for each production, buffer, and perimeter blast hole in the design. The calculated damage is then applied to the spacing between the blast holes. The basis of the buffer row design is the practical damage limit and is supported in this paper with computer models of signature blasts and full blast rounds using PFC2D (Itasca Consulting Group, Inc., 2018). Practical damage limit The practical damage radius (Rd) is not to be confused with burden. The practical damage extends toward the burden side and inward into the rock mass. For all practical purposes, the practical damage radius equals one half the burden (Hustrulid, 1999). The maximum extent of radial crack damage around a blast hole (Rcrack) and the maximum extent of radial crushing damage (Rcrush) are illustrated in Figure 1. A “practical” radius of damage (Rd) lies between the crushing limit and the cracking limit. The “practical” damage means that if the rock mass lying outside of the practical damage circle were removed, the rock remaining within the circle would easily break apart. Blast pressure and strain Work by Johnson (2010) and associates included signature blast tests in large concrete blocks. A signature blast test in concrete as exampled by strain data in Figure 2 was designed to monitor the dynamic strain at incremental distances from a single fully coupled blast hole, measure crushing and radial cracking extent by wire-sawing to expose the damage, and relate the damage to overbreak that is common in underground blasting. The initial slope or rising strain as the stress wave passes by the strain gages shows very high strain and strain rates close to the single blast hole. Since the derivative of strain versus time is strain rate, a line tangent to each of the strain curves at the maximum strain rate is drawn and the strain rates identified. The high strain rates were then plotted on a semi-log in Figure 3 to show a linear trend. The strain rate is greater than 100 s-1 within 20 cm from the blast hole for the signature blast experiment. The strain rate at the blast hole wall is projected to be 300 s-1. Figure 4 illustrates the damage in the NIOSH block exposed by a wire saw cut.

Jan 1, 2019

By James W. Estep

The sulphur shortage that has occurred in the past two years has directed attention more and more toward sour natural gas reserves, Wellhead values of sour gas vary widely depending upon the acid gas composition, location, market conditions, and necessary processing charges. Preparation of a saleable residue gas is considerably more involved and expensive than that normally encountered in treating a sweet gas. Recent revisions in sales gas specifications have increased capital costs and processing charges. The presence of hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide in a natural gas contributes to shrinkage factors that may approach 50%. Fuel required by the gas sweetening process and sulphur slant tail gas incineration also contributes to a further reduction in the volume of residue gas available for sale. The additional processing facilities involving gas sweetening, mercaptan removal, expanded utilities, sulphur recovery and sulphur handling, all demand additional operating and maintenance staff. A favorable sulphur market under certain conditions may justify the processing of sour gas whereby sulphur is either a by-product or a co-product, Five typical cases involving different compositions of sour gas are presented for evaluation. Capital costs, operating problems, and operating costs are presented in detail for full economic evaluation

Jan 1, 1967

By M. J. Raffaldi, L. A. Sandbak, K. K. Dehn, S. N. Warren, J. B. Seymour

"Confidence in the design and stability of an undercut cemented rockfill (CRF) span requires a thorough understanding of its emplaced material properties. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of cast 6×12-inch QA/QC cylinders is typically used as an index test to track the performance of a backfill plant. However, these strengths need to be adjusted for oversize aggregate removal and sample size effects if used to estimate the emplaced UCS. UCS testing of 6×12, 12×24, and 18×36-inch cast CRF cylinders was used to quantify the relationship between readily available 6×12-inch QA/QC strength data and the emplaced UCS. Test results indicate that the UCS of 18×36-inch cylinders is roughly 40% of the 6×12-inch UCS for similarly compacted samples. Mine QA/QC data indicate that the UCS of CRF is highly dependent on the degree of compaction as measured by bulk density. Based on these results, knowledge of the emplaced CRF density compared to 6×12-inch QA/QC density is also necessary to estimate the emplaced UCS. The scale effect reported in this study is more pronounced, compared to current understanding of backfill properties discussed in the literature, and underscores the need for further site-specific testing. INTRODUCTION The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Spokane Mining Research Division (SRMD), in cooperation with Barrick Gold Corporation, is conducting research with the goal of determining a relationship between 6-inch QA/QC cylinder strengths and the in-place strength of cemented rockfill (CRF). CRF cylinders with dimensions (diameter × length) of 6×12, 12×24, and 18×36 inches were cast onsite at the Turquoise Ridge Joint Venture (TRJV) and Cortez Hills Underground (CHUG) mines using CRF mixed at the mines’ respective batch plants. UCS tests were performed after 28 days of curing to estimate the size correction factor for each mine’s CRF. This paper presents an overview of the mix designs, sample collections, testing methods, test results, and an estimate of the UCS size correction factor for CRF at these mines. BACKGROUND Underhand cut and fill mining methods utilizing cemented backfill are common in underground metal mines in the United States. These methods are advantageous for controlling weak or highly stressed rock mass conditions by creating an engineered material that can be placed in openings, forming a beam that provides a safe, stable back for the next undercut. Increased use of underhand methods in the last 30 years has greatly improved safety in many cut-and-fill mines. However, with the continual push for more efficient and cost effective mining, there is a need to thoroughly understand the geotechnical properties of cemented backfill to assist in designing safe, stable openings while optimizing costs and production schedules."

Jan 1, 2018

By Wen Tao Liu, Tong Tian, Fu Sheng Niu, Xiu Man Liang

The level of automation employed in flotation production is relatively low. In an actual concentrator, operators use their judgment to adjust the production state based on the visual characteristics of the flotation froth surface. There are shortcomings, such as strong subjectivity and lagging process operation, that easily cause the waste of manpower and material resources. Machine vision technology is introduced to replace human visualization, achieving a quantitative description of the visual characteristics of the froth surface. The state variable parameters are provided for the identification of the flotation conditions.