Search Documents

By Michael Schaffer

The paper point out how APC (Advanced Process Control) can be implemented in a stepwise fashion, where each step demonstrates a return and builds towards the overall achievable benefit. Initial efforts focus upon areas that demonstrate the highest potential for quick payback. By attacking small, contained scope, the APC solution is manageable from both a commercial and technical perspective. While this approach results in a slower implementation with correspondingly delayed payback, it provides tangible benefit and addressees the fiscal reality of many operations.

Sep 12, 2005

By Hugh Thompson

In mining today, planning is of paramount importance, even more so when one considers that the business margins are reducing, requiring the evaluation of diverse alternatives for the optimal use of scarce resources. Additionally the capital required to approve some projects demands the best planning possible. Modern planning requires that all of the aspects of the business be represented, and not just the planning of the extraction in an isolated form. In order to carry out integrated strategic planning in the mining business one needs to have implemented a culture within the organisation that allows the business to be understood as a interelated system of processes. These processes must be co-ordinated so that they interact properly between each other and so define an integrated plan that optimises the available resources and maximises the benefit to the company. This defined culture should consider the important variables of each activity within the processes, and its’ relevance to the strategic plan. In this sense, this paper shows an example of computer tools used in order to reach the described objectives.

Aug 25, 2002

By Wieslaw Blaschke

The transformation of Polish economy, has contributed to the significant ownership changes and the way of management. Most of non-ferrous metals producers are now joint stock companies or stock companies, which shares are owned mostly by Polish shareholders, the State Treasury, banks or trading companies. However, as compared to the international tendencies, the cost of production of base metals in Poland are still relatively high, and the utilization of secondary sources is still very low. In this sense, the paper point out that some positive results of the current pro-ecological mineral policy in Poland have been already clearly visible in the case of non-ferrous metals smelters, where the emission of dusts and gases was significantly reduced. Therefore, if the current increasing tendency of world production of non-ferrous metals continues, Poland’s role as their primary producer will be reduced.

Sep 13, 2001

By Eric Nelson

The paper point out the structural openings and the localization of ore bodies. Structural openings in rocks constitute the primary permeability network for the formation of most hydrothermal ore deposits. The distribution, geometry, density, and orientation of ore bodies in structural openings are controlled by two primary factors: the far and near field stresses and the mechanical properties of rock. When stress controls the orientation and kinematics of faults and fractures in the absence of pre-existing weaknesses, ore shoot orientation is perpendicular to the fault slip vector and can be predicted by kinematic analysis. However, when structural openings form along pre-existing weaknesses, ore shoot orientation cannot always be predicted by kinematic analysis. Because we can classify ore bodies based on the types of geological structures discussed above and the variations that naturally occur from material property heterogeneity, exploration for hydrothermal ore deposits should include analysis of geologic structure and evolution, rheological variations, pre-existing weakness, and fault kinematics to evaluate structuralcontrols on localization of ore bodies.

Apr 22, 2003

By Greg Corbett

The paper point out the styles of Pacific Rim epithermal gold mineralization. Some characteristics of differing styles of epithermal gold mineralization influence investment decisions (metallurgy, metal ratios, mining style), while others should be taken into account during prospecting (pyrite content and resistivity govern geophysical techniques, vein/breccia styles control drilling, gold distribution influences ore reserve determinations). Two groups of epithermal deposits are distinguished by the fluid style which controls ore and gangue mineralogy. High sulfidation systems develop from the reaction of hot acidic magmatic fluids with host rocks to produce characteristic zoned alteration and later sulfide (dominantly enargite-pyrite) and Au-Ag-Cu deposition. Ore systems display permeably controls governed by lithology, structure and breccias, typically phreatomagmatic breccia pipes, and should be distinguished from a group of generally non-economic acidic alteration including: steam heated alteration, lithocaps or barren shoulders, acid sulfate, and magmatic solfatara alteration.

Apr 24, 2001

By Alfredo Gallardo

El artículo da cuenta de la investigación desarrollada por Compañía de Minas Buenaventura, para formular —con miras al cierre de la unidad minera La Zanja— una cobertura de suelos con residuos mineros que permitan la impermeabilidad, estabilidad física, biológica y geoquímica de los componentes generadores de drenajes ácidos de mina. Buenaventura adecuó un antiguo depósito de desmontes y lodos para realizar pruebas y ensayos que incluyeron el uso de suelos mejorados, suelos artificiales, suelos construidos —conocidos como tecnosoles—, con el fin de adaptar esta tecnología, desarrollada en Canadá y España, a la realidad peruana.

Nov 30, 2020

By Edgard Peralta Vera

Dado que la flotación es un método importante para el beneficio de minerales, es necesario conocer los recursos auxiliares que ayuden a controlar las variables de la flotación. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala la difusión de tales recursos como una contribución para reducir las pérdidas de minerales valiosos procedentes de menas de cobre- fierro, de plomo- zinc- platafierro y de cobre- plomo- zinc- plata-fierro en las plantas de Beneficio.

Jul 1, 1978

By Rubén Muñoz

This paper point out the discussion and evaluation of the non-conventional water resources; the discussion of the results of a multicriteria analysis which allows understanding and evaluating the differences; advantages and disadvantages from the technical-economical, social and environmental point of view of the non conventional water supply options: re use of municipal waste water as compared to seawater supply and its two sub options: raw seawater and desalinated seawater. The results show that there are advantages and disadvantages to each approach, but that use of non-conventional water resources is a viable option for mining companies.

Sep 21, 2013

"El presente texto señala las formas en que se presenta el sílice libre y las principales rocas constituyentes del material generador de la silicosis. En ese sentido, el ""sílice libre"" se presenta a través de tres formas: cristalizada, criptocristalina y amoría. Sus diversas variedades en forma de cuarzo son el cristal de roca, el cuarzo amatista, cuarzo rosado, amarillo, ahumado, lechoso, ferruginoso, etc. De otro lado, la presencia del cuarzo en las rocas ígneas sirve de base para su clasificación en ácidas, intermedias, básicas y ultrabásicas. Las rocas ácidas son las que contienen más de 10% de cuarzo, las intermedias menos de 10% de cuarzo y las básicas y ultrabásicas, carecen de este mineral en su esencia. Asimismo para determinar el grado de peligrosidad del polvo es necesario revisar la concentración de partículas de polvo, a través de una muestra y cuenta de los mismos. El muestreo se basa siguiendo diferentes técnicas basadas en principios fiísicos como filtración, estrellamiento, precipitación electrostática y térmica. Mientras que la cuenta de partículas se efectúa mediante un microscopio provisto de un sistema óptico standarizado y diferentes tipos de celdas (Dunn, hemacitómetro y la celda Hatch). Cabe aclarar que no es posible la comparación de peligrosidad de dos polvos, basándonos solo en el componenente sílice, sino que el tamaño de las partículas y la concentración en el ambiente, son factores a considerar para su evaluación. Entre los métodos importantes de determinación cuantitativa de sílice libre tenemos: químicos y físicos. Los primeros, utilizan la descomposición de todos los componentes de la muestra -con excepción del sílice libre-a través de un tratamiento ácido, mientras que los segundos son más precisos respecto de los polvos industriales y se realizan a través de análisis petrográfico, difracción de rayos y el método de fusión. Posteriormente, la Asociación Americana de Higienistas industriales revisa los datos encontrados en África del Sur, Australia, Inglaterra y Estados Unidos, y hace un esbozo sobre los límites de tolerancia permisibles de polvo, revelando que el polvo contenido con más de- 50% de SiO2 es equivalente a 5 MPPPC, los que tienen de 5 a 50% de SiO2 tienen 20 MPPPC, y aquellos que contienen hasta 5% deSiO2 equivale a 50 MPPPC, a diferencia de otros métodos propuestos."

Jul 20, 1957

By Richard Knobler

El presente texto describe el proceso del diseño de la planta metalúrgica en la mina Mantos Blanco, Chile. La mina de cobre de Mantos Blancos es conocida desde 1913 y está situada a unos 45 Kms. al Noreste de Antofagasta, Chile. El mineral de Mantos Blancos es del tipo óxido y contiene solamente trazas de sulfuros que requieren de un chancado muy fino. Por ello se creó el diseño de un sistema de planta que maneje mejor esos componentes a través de la instalación de dos stockpiles, después del chancado primario, de forma que estos alimenten el mineral en forma controlada y proporcional y así aprovechr la alta proporción de carga recirculante en el circuito de chancado terciario, para obtener una íntima mezcla de los dos componentes.

Jul 1, 1959

By Ramón Sánchez, T. López Willy, M. López Willy

La exploración de depósitos de Zn supergénicos conlleva la necesidad de poder evaluar la concentración de este metal base en campo, donde el uso de la técnica de tinción “Zinc Zap” se vuelve fundamental. La evaluación de un rango amplio de muestras de sondaje diamantino y rechazo fino (pulpa) utilizando la mencionada técnica ha dado la posibilidad de categorizar tres grupos principales según coloración, dependiendo de las concentraciones de Zn: 0.5 - 2.0 % con RBG (150,121,97); 2.1 - 8.0 % Zn con RGB (114,52,32); y ˃8.1% Zn con RGB (83,37,45).

May 10, 2023

By Marc Leduc

Since co-disposal technology promises to replace conventional tailings disposal methods at sites with high strip ratios or plentiful old dumps. While the mine waste needs to be relatively strong and low in fine material, and chemical compatibility must be assured, when these parameters are satisfied there are no other significant hurdles to its implementation. In this sense, the paper describe the resulting benefits range from substantial reduction in capital and operating costs to reduction or essential elimination of the short- and long-term liabilities associated with tailings dams are impoundments.Since tailings dam failures are arguably the greatest environmental liability and public relations problem in the industry, reducing the quantity of tailings managed behind dams is a worthy goal.

Jul 31, 2003

By Thomas F. Kerr

The La Quinua mill at the Yanacocha mine in Peru has a thickened tailings storage facility that is contained entirely within an active heap leach pad. In this respect, it is unique and unprecedented in the mining industry and provides the operator, Minera Yanacocha S.R.L. (MYRSL), with certain cost, land-use and closure efficiencies. The combined design requires that the leach ore embankments retaining the tailings provide the same high level of stability and security required of major tailings dams. Contrary to standard tailings dam construction, the leach ore in these embankments is placed in thick, uncompacted lifts so that they maintain adequate permeability for leaching. The resultant loose structure makes static and dynamic liquefaction a critical issue, and the key design principle for avoiding a liquefaction related failure is to keep the ore that is saturated or very near saturated when under leach well removed from the outer faces of the embankments and contained behind large unsaturated structural shells.

Sep 14, 2009

By Magali Arroyo, Carlos Gonzalez

En la actividad minera se tiene conocimiento de la interacción entre los explosivos industriales a base de nitrato de amonio y minerales ricos en pirita que puede conducir a la aparición de una explosión espontánea de los explosivos. Ha este fenómeno usualmente se lo llama Taladros Calientes, el presente documento es para poder aclarar la diferencia entre los terrenos calientes con los terrenos reactivos, y brindar una base técnica de cómo se puede trabajar ante estos dos diferentes tipos de terreno, teniendo una visión práctica sobre los mecanismos preventivos posibles.

Sep 1, 2017

By Germán Alva, Camilo Ferreira, Rómulo Villegas, Franco Olcese

El siguiente documento presenta el caso de la realización de talleres participativos, voluntarios e inclusivos de consulta social con comunidades, centros poblados y ciudades del área de influencia directa e indirecta de Minera Yanacocha, en Cajamarca, Perú. El objetivo con estos talleres es conocer las percepciones y el sistema de creencias de la población con respecto a la minería y el impacto de estas creencias sobre la postura hacia la empresa, brindar información desmitificando mitos y midiendo la aceptación de la actividad minera.

Sep 30, 2022

By Oscar Becerra, Cristhian Tomaduz, Lucas Nunes

Glencore, in collaboration with Cascadia Scientific, conducted a study to improve the haul roads at the Antapaccay mining operation. The study utilized Cascadia's SmartRView platform for data collection, complemented by precise instrumentation installed on both Komatsu and Caterpillar haul trucks Antapaccay worked closely with Cascadia's Data Scientists,employing various statistical methods to analyze the data and identify potential enhancements to the haul road design. The study utilized Cascadia Scientific's heat mapping tool to identify road segments with high fuel intensity . As a result, four main road segments were identified for improvement.

Sep 29, 2023

By Denys Parra, Ernesto Nájar, Javier Mendoza

La mayoría de unidades mineras o proyectos mineros en el Perú se localizan a lo largo de la cordillera de los Andes, donde las condiciones del relieve del terreno en algunos casos, hacen difícil la tarea de encontrar áreas con la suficiente capacidad para almacenar relaves convencionales (pulpa o espesados). En otros casos existe la necesidad de recuperar la mayor cantidad de agua, impactar la menor cantidad de área o la escasez de espacios para desarrollar proyectos de instalaciones de almacenamiento de relaves. Bajo estas condiciones la disposición del relave filtrado representa una buena alternativa para el almacenamiento de relaves en varios proyectos mineros.

Sep 1, 2017

By Emmanuel Portilllos

Every paste backfill system is typically unique, this being due to the particular tailings characteristics, the backfill recipe and requirements of mine planning. Key to successful transport to the underground workings through the boreholes and the distribution pipelines is the quality of cemented paste, being free of lumps and recipe components uniformly mixed. Certain types of mixer require that the mixing environment is required to be intensive as possible. In this sense, the present paper point out some of the general aspects of paste plant design, a short discussion on paste recipe and process equipment, followed by a technical comparison between a batch mixing and a continuous mixing process, currently applied to the production of cemented paste tailings for mine backfill.

Sep 9, 2007

By Jean-Michel Rendu

Computer systems are an integral part of the mining industry. Before a new operation is started, software requirements, and the need for hardware and communications must be determined. The personnel required to use the software, and to support the necessary infrastructure, must be hired and trained. In this sense, this paper emphasized the needs that geologists and mining engineers have for technical software. Similar requirements apply to all other aspects of a mining operation. These requirements will become even more critical in the years to come, and must be fully assessed before construction of a new mine begins. Dependency of a mine operation on its computer systems must never be underestimated.

Jul 17, 2000

By Jeremy Dowling

Mine dewatering is needed in most large open pits but the current practice of using in-pit vertcal wells is often chellenging to implement with good results. In order to address these challenges, SWS collaborated with FMI and innovated a directionally placed mine dewatering well workflow, based on well placement technologies from the Oil and Gas industry. The main aims of the program are to: Maximize hydraulic contact between the ore deposit and production dewatering wells and attain enhanced well production rates from the most important fracture sets. Move the well-heads to permanent areas outside of mine operating areas, removing or reducing the need for in-pit wells and allowing for sustained, prolonged pumping runs times.

Oct 21, 2015