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By P. J. H. de Graaf, S. D. N. Wessels

"Rio Tinto’s Western Australian expansion, combined with mining within structurally complex geology and increasingly below the water table, presents challenges in effective slope management to ensure safe and economic mining.The Geotechnical Management System (GMS) was developed by Rio Tinto Iron Ore (RTIO) to manage geotechnical risks identified during the design process and implementation, and to ensure feedback based on the ‘as-found’ conditions. The GMS utilizes a risk-based approach to geotechnical risk management and is centred on the geotechnical risk and hazard assessment management system (GRAHAMS). GRAHAMS is used to assess pre- and post-control risk for future potential risks (planned slopes), current risks (as-built slopes), and actual geotechnical hazards (realized risks) identified in the pit. This serves as a core operational risk management tool in identifying and prioritizing key risk sectors and management of critical controls. The system’s database reporting functionality supports effective communication of operational risks to operational personnel, as well as reporting the risk profile across operations to management.A rigorous engagement process between design engineers and sitebased engineers is implemented to ensure that key design assumptions, limitations, risks, and opportunities are understood by the site teams. This information, together with mine plan schedule details, is used to assess the design risk and develop appropriate controls. These controls typically include slope performance monitoring and slope reconciliation. The design feedback loop is closed through sharing of key slope performance and reconciliation data with the design teams.The GMS has been successfully implemented in RTIO pits and is fundamental to successful geotechnical slope management. Improved characterization of design assumptions has allowed for re-assessment of the pit design and improved hazard management in high-risk pits. The GMS, GRAHAMS, and other processes reduce the incidence of unexpected slope instability. Improved understanding of rock mass conditions has allowed for economic optimization through redesign of slopes, allowing for an improved understanding of risk and fewer unexpected conditions (surprises), hence an increased realized value."

Jan 1, 2016

By R. Mulyanto, M. Siray, A. Parhusip, F. Hartono

"PT Freeport Indonesia is preparing the Deep Mill Level Zone (DMLZ) mine to be the successor of the currently operating Deep Ore Zone (DOZ) mine. The DMLZ is block cave mine situated 500 m below the DOZ mine and approximately 1600 m depth from surface. Both of the block caving mines require draw point construction in the extraction level to extract the ore from caved area above. Learning from the experience in DOZ, the construction & maintenance of draw points in the production panels is a significant challenge in supporting consistent production.The average DOZ draw point construction duration is approximately 46 shifts per draw point. The time frame for construction is dependent on several variables; availability of the conventional forming system, material availability, and development tolerances. The repair of concrete floors and lintel sets causes production downtime. Reviewing the old DOZ draw point design, there is an opportunity to increase constructability, durability, and reliability of DMLZ draw points. This paper discusses how the DMLZ has improved draw point construction productivity and is on track to significantly reduce costs whilst increasing the quality by using the Six Sigma Improvement Method.Introduction The DMLZ Mine is part of the PT. Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) future Expansion to its underground mining complexes. It is the fourth vertical lift in the East Ertsberg Skarn System (EESS) deposit (Figure 1).Currently, it is under development phase.The DMLZ mine will be a block cave mine using an advanced undercutting method. The DMLZ extraction level will be approximately 1,600 meters below the surface on the 2570 level with column heights of roughly 500 m. The Undercut is on 2590 level, some 20 meters above the extraction level."

Jan 1, 2016

By Moreno Pescara, Luca Soldo, Piergiorgio Grasso

"Risk management in tunneling is more important today than it was a few years ago, considering increasing demands for safety and environmental and socio-economic sustainability, which are now required by citizens, owners, lenders, and insurers. Moreover, our current risk management philosophy should not only address risk avoidance and mitigation, but should also be used as a means of value creation, benefiting the overall project. Given the strategic implications of risk management, the authors intend to present, in this paper, a comprehensive overview of references and experiences from current practice—e.g., what is missing or weak, as well as possible or necessary developments that can have a key role in implementing effective risk management, particularly for a project’s design and construction phases. Therefore, as God has set some things in broad daylight; as he has given us some certain knowledge, though limited to a few things so, in the greatest part of our concernments, he has afforded us only the twilight, as I may so say, of probability (John Locke) PREFACE Many large-scale engineering and construction projects suffer millions of dollars in cost overruns, delays in design and construction, and operability troubles once finally completed (Edward W. Merrow, 2011). The undesired effects of these problems can become disastrous for large-scale megaprojects (those that typically cost US$1 billion or more), particularly considering that these are increasingly used as the preferred delivery model for infrastructure (Bent Flyvbjerg, 2014), often in public-private partnerships (PPPs). McKinsey G.I. (2015) has estimated that bridges and tunnels average 35% in cost overruns, and roads 20%. Some of the values published by Flyvbjerg (ibidem, 2014) for projects with relevant underground elements are the highest, with cost overruns from 60% to 300%. The analysis of 32 other case histories (from 1994 to 2010) given by Hartmut, R. (2011, IMIA Annual Conference, Amsterdam) indicates an average increase of costs around $55 million, with a 20-month average delay."

Jan 1, 2016

By F. Roemer, D. Goldmann, T. Elwert

Tantalum is an important minor metal for the production of high performance capacitors. Approximately 60% of the annual tantalum production is used in this application. Despite its high price of 298 US$/kg (average price 2010–2014), at the moment, no recycling from end-of-life products takes place. In the established recycling processes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), tantalum is lost in the slags of copper smelting, where it is highly diluted. An economic recovery is not possible at that point. Although tantalum must therefore be extracted from the WEEE stream before it enters smelting, no industrial recycling processes exist. The main reasons are its low concentration in the WEEE stream, lack of information about tantalum bearing devices, technical difficulties of extraction, and conflicts of interests regarding the recycling of other valuable metals in WEEE. In this paper, the results of a cooperation research project are presented. The aforementioned challenges are addressed and a novel tantalum recycling process is developed. Small pilot scale experiments show that a mechanical processing route can produce marketable tantalum-concentrates of 30% tantalum with yields between 60 and 70%. This is reached through a manual pre-sorting of potentially tantalum bearing products followed by a combination of an optimized comminution, sieving, air classifying, eddy-current (EC), and two stage magnetic separation. Key to the implementation of this process was a detailed survey of the tantalum concentrations in different products carried out by the industrial partner.

Jan 1, 2016

By N. X. Feng, S. G. Zhou, X. L. Wu, J. P. Peng, Y. Z. Di

"Szaibelyite–suanite type ore is rich in magnesium oxide and boron oxide. We propose a new method to extract both metallic magnesium and valuable residues rich in boron by reduction using metallic aluminium.Thermodynamic analysis of the reactions between aluminum and MgO, Mg2B2O5, and Mg3B2O6 was carried out. The effects of CaF2 addition, temperature, mass of Al, and pellet formation pressure on the extraction of magnesium were also investigated experimentally.The results indicate that the magnesium oxide phase can be displaced from 2MgO-B2O3 and 3MgO·B2O3 by CaO in the reduction system. The reduction ratio of magnesium oxide was 38% without calcium fluoride addition, increasing to 94% with 5.1% calcium fluoride. The reduction ratio increased with increasing temperature and mass of Al. To obtain a higher reduction ratio, the reduction pellet should be formed under a reasonable pressure.IntroductionBoron and its compounds are widely used in textiles, borosilicate glass, metallurgy, fertilizers, and nuclear shielding. Boron resources are mainly found in Turkey, the USA, Russia, and China. In Liaoning, China, there are abundant szaibelyite–suanite type ores that are rich in magnesium oxide and boron oxide. Szaibelyite and suanite ores are used to produce borax by a carbon dioxide– soda process. Annually, 2 Mt of waste materials containing 3–20% B2O3 and 2–25% MgO are produced during the process. It is necessary to make use of these waste materials containing high concentrations of boron oxide and magnesium oxide to avoid environmental problems as well as for economic reasons (Ozdemir and K1pcak, 2007)"

Jan 1, 2016

By Sahendra Ram, Arnn Kr Singh, Dheeraj Kumar, Rajendra Singh

"Inherent existence of different rooms (openings) along the extraction line in a depillaring panel provides an easy path for the goaf to encroach the working area. Each of these openings in a mechanized depillaring (MD) operation along the extraction line is supported by the roof bolt-based breaker line support (RBBLS) to restrict the goaf encroachment. Different field studies by Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR) found that the RBBLS works effectively during the depillaring under the shadow of stable surrounding ribs/fenders only. It is observed that, generally, these natural supports experience high value of induced stresses after a large amount of void creation inside the goaf. The induced stress creates spalling/loosening of the sides of the natural supports. Field studies also found that the positions of the RBBLS at the goaf edge need to be adjusted according to the depth of this spalling/ loosening. However, a systematic study in field for the correct positioning of the breaker line as per the spalling/loosening under different site conditions is difficult. Therefore, on the basis of the data and guidance provided by these field investigations, a detailed parametric investigation was conducted in the laboratory on simulated models for an effective design of RBBLS in a MD panel. FLAC3D is used for the simulation of the depillaring, and the available empirical formulations for Indian coalfields are used for subsequent calibration. An analysis of stress redistribution for different stages of the MD in simulated models showed the significance of the nature of overlying strata/induced stress for the RBBLS design. Discussing some results of field studies, this paper presents results of the laboratory investigations for an effective design of the RBBLS.INTRODUCTIONContinuous Miner (CM)-based mechanized depillaring (MD) is an important issue for Indian coalfields, where huge amounts of coal are locked up in standing pillars (Dixit and Mishra, 2010). Considerable variations in site conditions of these developed pillars bring a number of technical challenges into consideration during their final extraction. One of these challenges is goaf encroachment/overriding during caving of the competent roof strata. Goaf encroachment/overriding can effectively be controlled, mainly, by suitable design of natural supports (rib/snook/fender). However, there is a requirement of applied supports against the immediate roof as a considerable portion of this roof is exposed due to the presence of different openings along the line of extraction. These applied supports act as a fulcrum at the goaf edge between the working area and the goaf to facilitate the break out of the hanging roof inside the goaf. This is called breaker line support. An effective breaker line support is important for the efficiency of a depillaring operation. Generally, MD adopts roof bolt-based breaker line support (RBBLS) at the goaf edge (Singh, et al., 2014). For the first time in India, roof bolts were applied at the goaf edge as RBBLS in a CM-based MD (Leeming, 2003). In the beginning, three rows of roof bolts were installed as primary and secondary breaker lines support. On the basis of the observations of instrumented bolts, only two rows of roof bolts were used as secondary RBBLS (Ram, et al., 2014). Now, most of the MD operations in India are using only two rows of bolts as RBBLS (Table 1). However, the strata mechanics studies at different MD operations showed interesting characteristics resulting from this support (Ram, et al., 2015)."

Jan 1, 2016

By H. Ramazi, A. Amini

"This article is devoted to the introduction of a new technique of electrical resistivity data processing called residual resistivity (RR). We define RR as measured resistivity minus background resistivity. To determine the background resistivity, the data acquired from electrical resistivity measurements along a given survey line is evaluated, and then an equation is fitted to the data corresponding to a chosen measurement station as a function of current electrode spacing (or array length). The RR technique was applied to several synthetic models to compare the conventional resistivity inversion of each model with its RR-based inversion. A case study was carried out in a karstic area in Zarrinabad, Lorestan Province, western Iran, to detect the location and geometry of probable cavities by conventional resistivity inversion and RR-based inversion. The results showed that the anomalous zones are better highlighted in the RR-based inversion images in comparison with the conventional inversion images. In some cases, anomalies detected by the RR-based images were hidden in the conventional method. IntroductionThe geoelectrical resistivity method has been widely used since the early 20th century, and plays an important role in several fields such as groundwater and subsurface mineral exploration, geotechnical and environmental investigations, and archeological studies (Bayrak and Senel, 2012; Candansayar and Basokur, 2001; Fehdi et al., 2011; Hee et al., 2010; Osella et al., 2003; Wilkinson et al., 2010). The goal of geoelectrical resistivity surveys is to determine the distribution of subsurface resistivity by measuring the current-potential difference on the ground surface (Aizebeokhai et al., 2010). In the electrical resistivity method, an electrical current is injected into the ground by two electrodes, called current electrodes (AB), and the potential difference is measured between another pair of electrodes, the potential electrodes (MN). Several methods of interpretation are available for application to electrical resistivity data, the simplest being the graphical interpretation of the apparent electrical resistivity pseudo-sections along each survey line. A second method, electrical resistivity inversion, has been developed to create relatively accurate two- and threedimensional computational resistivity models of subsurface sections (Loke and Barker, 1996; Niwas and Mehrotra, 1997; Nordiana et al., 2014; Oldenburg and Li, 1994; Papadopoulos et al., 2009; Yilmaz and Narman, 2014). In the inversion method, models of subsurface objectives are mathematically inverted to reach optimal solutions subject to prescribed objective functions, constrains, and convergence criteria. A common problem when using the electrical resistivity inversion method is that the inversion model of an electrical resistivity profile may be non-unique because different inhomogeneities in the investigation media can result in the same electrical response (Smith and Vozzof, 1984)."

Jan 1, 2016

By C. R. Kato, G. Proulx

"Within the continuous scenario of reduced aluminium price and plants production costs increase, the energy consumption optimization in the aluminum electrolytic pots continues as the main focus for the producers. Energy consumption was chosen as a key performance indicator to drive the efforts and actions for improvements. Alcoa improved the energy consumption by approximately 3% from 2005 to 2015. This improvement was a result of best practices implementation, new technologies introduction, strategic actions with plant curtailments and management practices. The main objective of this paper is to highlight the importance of the management practices for planning and operational improvements beyond the technology changes. About 10 years ago, Alcoa reorganized its approach to retain knowledge in the Smelters by using a Best Practices format. For each specific subject, a skilled team defined the minimum requirements and the Best Practices for several aspects of operation and maintenance, which affect the environment, safety, cost, customers and performance. These Best Practices were deployed to all Smelters combined with training sessions to process and operation professionals. We will describe how the Best Practices were organized, the deployment strategy used, and the approach to measure the plants’ success. We will describe the management approach that includes Manufacturing Analyses focused on 3-year potential, annual planning, and weekly monitoring of plant stability. A manufacturing analysis is organized at select plants with cross-functional participation of specialists from technical, operational, procurement and finance. The output of a manufacturing analysis includes a roadmap of enablers to improve energy efficiency. A quarterly follow-up of enabler deployment is held with the plant and resources that participated in the analysis. Annually, there is a Planning Process where energy consumption enablers are selected to be implemented during the next 3 years for each plant. A monthly critical analysis is made by the plants with regional best practice support. On a weekly basis, key performance indicators are reviewed with determination of a stability index for each plant. Any deviation signal of unstable condition is alerted and supporting resources are diverted to the plant to reverse trend with countermeasures.INTRODUCTIONDue to factors like excess aluminum in the market and lower consumption in China, the LME price is declining along the last years, as showed in Figure 1. In 2011, the price peaked at US$ 2,400/ton and since then, continues to trend down and approaching the lowest level at US$ 1,500/ton in the last 5 years."

Jan 1, 2016

By L. A. Cornish, J. W. van der Merwe

"The hydrofluoric acid (HF) industry in South Africa uses normalized mild steel (SA 516 Gr 70) for the storage and distribution of its technical-grade product (70% HF). The technical-grade acid is split from the anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) product during distillation just after HF is produced, in a stainless-steel-lined kiln, from the reaction of calcium fluoride (CaF2) with sulphuric acid (H2SO4). Uniform corrosion of the storage tanks is mitigated during commissioning by contacting the steel with 70% HF. A corrosive reaction takes place (2H+ + 2F- + Fe - H2 + FeF2) to form scale inside the tank which diminishes the attack of the steel by fresh HF, thus prolonging the service life expectancy of the vessels. This iron fluoride scale in the vessel grows continually, resulting in corrosion of the vessels continuing at a predictable rate (approx.0.5 mm/a) since the first commissioning of the tanks at Necsa in 1993. In early 2012, an increase in the average corrosion rate of the tanks to 3 mm/a measured at and below the liquid band in the storage vessels was noted. Three months later the corrosion rate had increased to 30 mm/a, just before the first leak from the tank was detected. The tanks were decommissioned shortly afterwards and an investigation revealed that the rapid corrosion was due to the presence of increased levels (>50 ppm) of nitric acid (HNO3) in the tanks, which attacked the fluoride layer protecting the steel.The oxidation characteristics of high concentrations of HNO3 with low concentrations of HF on stainless steel surface treatment are well documented. The effects of low levels of nitric acid on the corrosion of steels in sulphuric acid are also known, but no suitable published data currently exists on corrosion by high HF concentrations with low HNO3 concentrations. Establishing the rate and mechanism of corrosion by HNO3 (0.1 to 1%) in 70% HF is currently a high priority for the HF industry in South Africa and will become increasingly important in the near future due to depleting fluorite reserves and cheaper, but less efficient, processes producing H2SO4 with higher impurity levels, which were not anticipated in the original plant design. The aim of this study is to simulate the corrosion conditions in the plant on a laboratory scale in order to establish the corrosion characteristics of the steels used in the HF plant, which are increasingly exposed to the HNO3 impurities that tend to concentrate in the final technical-grade HF acid product."

Jan 1, 2016

By Christopher E. Dianora, Matthew Sorrell, Eileen Test

"Constructed between 1939 and 1945, the Rondout-West Branch Tunnel (RWBT) portion of the Delaware Aqueduct is 45 miles (72 km) long. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) first identified suspected areas of leakage from the RWBT in the 1990s. A $1 billion project is underway to mitigate the leakage through the construction of a bypass tunnel around the area of most severe deterioration, a 2.5-mile (4 km) section located beneath the Hudson River. Two shafts, 800 and 900 feet (244 and 274 m) below the ground surface, are being sunk to support the tunnel construction. The deep shafts will be subjected to high groundwater pressures and have been designed to accommodate multiple tunnel portals. This paper discusses the engineering decisions and analyses leading up to the final design. INTRODUCTION Project Background The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) provides over 1 billion gallons (3.7 billion liters) of water to over 9 million residents of the City of New York and surrounding communities each day. This water is stored in upstate reservoirs and conveyed to the City via a system of aqueducts and tunnels. Water is delivered to the City almost completely by gravity and consists of three systems: the Croton, the Catskill, and the Delaware. The Delaware System is the largest of the three and supplies between 50% and 70% of the City’s daily water supply. In the 1990s, the NYCDEP discovered leaks in the central 45-mile-long (72 km) portion of the Delaware Aqueduct known as the Rondout-West Branch Tunnel (RWBT). The leaks release between 15 and 35 million gallons per day (MGD) (132.5 million liters per day) and are concentrated in two areas near Wawarsing and Roseton, New York. As part of the Rondout-West Branch Bypass Tunnel and Wawarsing Repairs Project (Bypass Tunnel Project), the leaks in the Wawarsing area will be repaired by grouting from inside the existing RWBT, and the leaks in the Roseton area will be mitigated by constructing a bypass tunnel parallel to and 1,750 feet (533 m) north of the leaking portion of the existing RWBT. Two deep shafts will be excavated on either side of the Hudson River: Shaft 5B in Newburgh and Shaft 6B in the Town of Wappinger."

Jan 1, 2016

By Taehong Kim, Changsoo (Kevin) Moon, Anil Parikh

"This paper presents an overview and performance evaluation for a reconditioned decades aged open type hard rock TBM utilized for the twin running tunnel excavations of the Second Avenue Subway Project in Manhattan, New York. The TBM tunnel lengths are approximately 2,370 m (7,800 ft, east TBM Tunnel) and 2,190 m (7,200 ft, west TBM Tunnel) with a 6.7 m (22 ft) bored diameter. This “senior” TBM mined through metamorphic rocks consisting of schist, granofels, and pegmatite, and encountered various adverse geological structures, including some relatively heavy groundwater inflows. The ground support was generally pattern friction rock bolts, and steel sets were used in poor ground. This paper presents TBM characteristics and the subsequent performance, such as machine utilization, downtime, cutter consumption rate, net penetration rate, and daily advance rate. Machine operating parameters including thrust, torque, gripping force, and cutterhead RPM, are compared with various accompanying ground conditions. The performance changes between the adjacent tunnel sections are also presented. INTRODUCTION Project Overview The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Capital Construction (MTACC)’s Second Avenue Subway (SAS) Program consists of four (4) phases from 125th Street to Manhattan Battery Park along the 2nd Avenue (see Figure 1) in Manhattan New York. As a part of Phase 1, Contract 1 was awarded to S3 JV (Skanska/Schiavone/Shea) to build a TBM launch box and subsequent twin TBM tunnels from 92nd Street to 63rd Street under 2nd Avenue. Contract 1 was one of the key contracts in Phase 1 to pre-excavate through the footprint of the follow-on underground stations (72nd St. Station, 86th St. Station, and 96th St. Station) by hard rock TBM excavation. The project team included Client MTACC, S3 Tunnel Constructors, Designer, Aecom-Arup JV, and Consultant Construction Manager, Parsons Brinckerhoff. The major elements of Contract 1 included construction of TBM Launch Box supported by secant pile and slurry walls and mining of twin TBM tunnels with a combined tunnel length of approximately 4,560 m (15,000 ft). The dimension of the TBM launch box was approximately 247 m (810 ft) long from 92nd Street to 95th Street, 21 m (70 ft) to 24 m (80ft) wide along the 2nd Avenue, and 18 m (60 ft) to 21 m (70 ft) deep from the ground surface. The launch box was later used for the follow-on 96th Street Station."

Jan 1, 2016

By J. D. Miller

"It is now possible to use 3D X-ray tomography analysis for plant-site characterization of coarse particles at a sampling rate of about 3 kg/min for particles which range in size from 150 mm to 1 mm at a voxel resolution of about 150 microns. This is quite a significant advance in X-ray tomography technology and should be useful for plant-site coarse particle characterization (size, shape, composition, density, texture, grain exposure, mineral liberation) with a response time of minutes after receiving the sample. Applications in the mineral industries are discussed including the coal industry, aggregate industry, metal mining and the processing of industrial minerals. INTRODUCTION Plant-site characterization of coarse particles at coal preparation plants, crushed stone/aggregate plants, and mineral processing plants is needed to improve plant capacity, product quality, and/or process efficiency. Not much on-line coarse particle characterization is done at these plants. Some limited information regarding particle size is obtained on-line from reflected light images using systems such as the OPSA, Split, and WipFrag analyzers. Even laboratory analysis of coarse particles has been difficult because of the large amount of sample required to insure statistical significance of the results. During the past decades laboratory 3D characterization of particles from energy and mineral resources by X-ray tomography has been demonstrated and used to good advantage [1, 2]. 3D X-ray tomographic analysis had its origin in the medical services industry; it is used to provide internal images of the human body and now has also been developed for non-medical applications [3]. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram for the cone-beam geometry micro-CT system. In our case X-rays from a microfocus X-ray generator are partially attenuated by the sample (a packed bed of particles) that is made to rotate in equal steps in a full circle about a single axis of the particle sample. At each rotational position, the surviving X-ray photons are detected by a planar two-dimensional array (image intensifier) large enough to contain the shadow of the specimen. These two dimensional projection images are collected using conventional video technology. The video signal for each projection is then converted to a two-dimensional digital array by an image processing system. Finally, a three-dimensional image is reconstructed from the collected set of projection images. With the availability of automated high speed X-ray tomography [4] it now seems possible to do plant-site particle characterization at a sampling rate of about 3 kg/min for particles which range in size from 150 mm to 1 mm at a voxel resolution of about 150 microns. This is quite a significant advance in X-ray tomography technology and should be useful for plant-site particle characterization (size, shape, composition, density, texture, grain exposure, mineral liberation) with a response time of minutes after receiving the sample. Applications in the mineral industries are discussed including the coal industry, aggregate industry, metal mining, and the processing of industrial minerals"

Jan 1, 2016

By V. E. Gall, A. Vonthron, J. Ninic, A. Marwan, M. König, G. Meschke, A. Alsahly

"In current tunneling practice, finite element simulations have become an integral element of the planning and design process. These models are most often manually generated using 2D CAD drawings, which is a laborious and time consuming process. In this paper, we propose a BIM based approach, in which the 3D FE-model is automatically generated through a set of compatible geometries of individual components, i.e. the geology, alignment, lining and the TBM. The BIM model also includes all relevant model parameters of the tunneling project that can then be incorporated into subsequent analysis to be performed during the tunnel drive. The setup and the execution of the FE-analysis are performed automatically utilizing all required data from BIM. The applicability and efficiency of the proposed strategies is demonstrated by means of project data from the Wehrhahn-line metro project in Düsseldorf, Germany. Both the design as well as the construction stage is considered. INTRODUCTIONIt is recommend to employ Finite Element (FE) simulations in order to ensure a high degree of safety and quality for any given project (Guglielmetti et al. 2012). As such, FE models form an integral part in the design and planning stages of modern tunneling projects. These models are often time consuming to construct and require data from many different sources. This data is most often not centrally stored and therefore not easily accessible. Additionally, the formats in which project data are stored are typically not compatible with the formats required by an FE program. This is especially true in the case of geometrical data, such as CAD drawings. Although existing design drawings are most often used as the basis for a FE model, a direct import into a FE program is most often not successful as the imported data generates a geometry that does not fulfill the requirements of a FEM model, such as model connectivity. Even if a geometry is successfully imported, other necessary aspects of an FE model, such as boundary conditions and material properties, must be applied manually. These incompatibilities inevitably result in the creation of a new model, which, especially in the case of complex 3D models, is a time consuming process."

Jan 1, 2016

By P. A. Mascaró, N. Chacon, A. A. Cecchi

"This document shows the development of a system called the “On-line charge level determination in SAG mills” (abbreviated as Jc). The Jc variable has certainly been difficult to measure due to the relevant number of factors and variables that affect the grinding phenomena inside semi autogenous (SAG) mills. To assess the feasibility stage of the proposed system, it was necessary to carry out two tests in different sized SAG mills, 38´ × 22´ and 36´ × 15´, respectively. In each test, the system was configured with a battery of sensors of the following types: (1) strain gauge, (2) accelerometer, and (3) gyroscope. The first step involved for charge level determinations was to determine kidney foot and shoulder by means of a study of the energy-impacts on shell structures. The second step consisted of correlating the measured grinding operational variables with the actual charge levels obtained from SAG mill crash stops. This system development is extremely useful and relevant for providing approximations about mass balances inside SAG mills. It will be a suitable tool for explaining “tonnes per hour” variations and determining optimal points under various operating conditions.INTRODUCTIONThere has been a growing necessity for technologies capable of obtaining “on-line data” of the main comminution variables in order to increase throughput. Computer systems have taken an important role in providing important solutions by means of processing on-line device signals (commonly referred to as monitoring). In semi autogenous (SAG) milling, there are many examples of monitoring devices that allow the operational staff to obtain detailed information both mechanically and electronically inside a grinding circuit. In this context, a new technology has been developed to obtain “Jc total charge (%) online” in two different SAG mills called Vibro-Energy® System.As part of the analysis performed by JKsimMet® the Jb/Jc was estimated because it has an important impact on SAG mill throughput. Different scenarios were simulated and contrasted at various theoretical Jb/Jc values in a baseline circuit (Figure 1)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Chen Bang, Xia Xiao’ou, Zhang Feng

"Ores with compressive strength lower than 150 MPa are usually easy to be crushed by conventional jaw crushers and cone crushers. However, for hard ores with compressive strength exceeding 150 MPa and 200 MPa and even up to 250 MPa, such as andesite, hard basalt and olivine, it is difficult to reach satisfactory crushing size and yield or difficult to meet service life and stability use requirements of quick-wear parts by using conventional crushers. As continued increase in ore mining depth and constant generation of new type materials, equipment demand for crushing hard ores becomes increasing high. A new type inertia vibrating crusher is designed. It is powered by a high-speed rotating vibration exciter and can obtain required crushing force by adjusting eccentric mass, eccentricity and rotating speed so as to crush various ores with high hardness. This paper introduces the design process of its structure and working principle, discusses the design calculation methods of vibration excitation system, vibration damping and energy storage system and other key mechanism and provides technical references for this type of vibrating crusher.DESIGN PHILOSOPHYThe conventional jaw crusher mainly acquires extrusion force from crank motion to realize crushing. The motor drives the eccentric shaft via the transmission device to bring the moving jaw to swing relative to the stationary jaw. When the moving jaw moves close to the stationary jaw, ores between them are crushed by extrusion; when the moving jaw moves away from the stationary jaw, crushed ores are discharged from the discharge gate at the lower end between the moving jaw and the stationary jaw.The conventional spring cone crusher and the hydraulic cone crusher mainly acquire extrusion force from cranking motion to realize crushing. The motor drives the eccentric sleeve via the transmission device, the moving cone shaft generates an eccentric distance to make cranking motion under the action of the eccentric sleeve. When the moving cone moves close to the stationary cone, ores between them are crushed by extrusion. When the moving cone moves away from the stationary jaw, crushed ores are discharged from the discharge gate at the lower end between the moving cone and the stationary cone under the action of dead weight."

Jan 1, 2016

By G. Hoffmeyer, I. Ream

"Several copper projects exclusively utilizing in-situ recovery methods are currently under development in Arizona. Favorable conditions for In-Situ Copper Recovery (ISCR) include a saturated orebody, fracture hosted mineralization, hydraulic conductivity sufficient to effectively inject and recover solutions using wells, and a relatively flat background hydraulic gradient. Safe operation of an ISCR project requires that the operator have the ability to induce and maintain localized hydraulic gradients, thereby controlling the movement of injected and recovered solutions. Benefits of ISCR include reduced initial capital, and a greatly reduced environmental footprint. THE ISCR METHOD EXPLAINED The method chosen to extract a mineral from a deposit is driven by characteristics such as its size, grade and depth of burial. Large lower grade deposits that require significant excavation to access using surface methods are potential candidates for in-situ recovery. ISCR may also be ideal for smaller deposits due to the lower initial capital. However, regardless of the size of the deposit, certain hydrogeologic conditions must be present for ISCR to be successful. In-situ recovery methods do not require excavations of rock from the surface or underground, resulting in a dramatic reduction in surface disturbance when compared to conventional mining. With the ISCR method, what is visible above ground is the processing plant, well heads, piping, process solution impoundments and evaporation ponds. There are no waste rock piles, tailings impoundments, leach pads, or impacts associated with blasting and hauling. Other benefits include reduced initial capital, reduced dust and noise, and lower water use. Early testing of the in-situ copper recovery method by Occidental on the Van Dyke deposit east of Phoenix and by Kennecott at Safford Arizona in the 1970s produced encouraging results, but the permitting regime for a large-scale operation was not yet in place. Additional testing and commercial application of in-situ copper recovery techniques have expanded since the 1980s, most commonly in conjunction with open pit or underground mining operations. For example, several operations in Arizona (San Manuel, Miami East and Tohono) have used in-situ techniques to extract additional copper following conventional mining from parts of the deposits adjacent to open pits or underground workings. Where the rock has been broken up by conventional methods, the method is called “in-place” leaching. The US government has also been involved in assessing in-situ techniques. For example, joint research was conducted by the US Bureau of Mines and industry on the Santa Cruz deposit in Arizona; and both federal and state agencies have been involved to establish the comprehensive permitting regime that exists today. Currently there are several projects in Arizona being evaluated as stand-alone ISCR operations."

Jan 1, 2016

By Sharanappa Yalal, Rakesh Kumar Khali

"Himalayan geology poses the most challenging ground conditions almost anywhere in the world, one of the reasons thereof is their evolution as the youngest mountain chains. They are demonstratively rising faster than any mountain elsewhere. The composition is also younger, and consequently less well consolidated than the other older fold belts. This is consistent with the fact that they constitute one of the most active of the plate margin zones rising at a rate that is almost double the Andes, which is in turn three times that of the Alps. Thus, stress conditions (Magnitude and variations) can potentially be more extreme and adverse on a Himalayan tunneling project. Tunnel excavation under the Himalayan Mountains will pose significantly more challenges than an equal length and equal cover drive almost anywhere in the world. These in-depth-tunneling difficulties through high mountainous terrains have posed major challenges for application of traditional drill and blast (D&B) and NATM methods. Handling such adverse geology at any depth is always problematic and generally leads, if not adequately foreseen, to the significant tunneling delays. The author wants to highlight the challenges faced and on the spot solutions adopted while executing most prestigious 273Km long Udhampur –Srinagar- Baramula Rail Link Project (USBRL) in the Himalayas in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India. The main focus of the paper is on main stretch of USBRL Project i.e. T-80 (India’s 2nd longest railway tunnel & 3rd longest in Asia) where the team of the author has recently completed a 11.2 Km long tunnel and where the train track has gone operational from Qazigund to Banihal. The construction of this stretch posed several challenges akin to highly adverse geological conditions. Executing on -the -spot solutions, the project has been completed successfully. 1.0 INTRODUCTION Construction of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Broad gauge railway line is one of the Mega projects undertaken by Indian Railways to establish a dependable transportation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In engineering terminology, it is a challenging project negotiating breakthroughs against the complex Himalayan geology. The Project which has been operational over last 12 years , stretch by stretch, is in advance stage of construction . The purpose of the prestigious project is to connect the Kashmir valley to the mainland of the state of the country. On the date owing to the hurdles of the tuff terrain, the transport of this part is totally dependent on the surface transport, i.e., through a road which connects NH-1A from Delhi to Srinagar. The altitude of the region varies from 500.00 to 1700.00, ranging through Udhampur to Katra - Reasi –Sangaldan- Banihal-Quazikund-Ananthnag-Srinagar-and Baramulla. The main features of this project are its Pirpanjal Tunnel and T-48 & 49 tunnels which cover the maximum length of tunneling through thick hostile geological conditions, the total length being 138km. Details of Pirpanjal tunnels are shown in Figure-1."

Jan 1, 2016

By Y. G. Seredkin, A. A. Vasiliev, A. Y. Senchenko, A. V. Aksenov

"Autoclave oxidation, bacterial and chemical liberation, roasting, acid oxygen processes, atmospheric oxidation prior to cyanidation are applied to process refractory sulphide concentrates. It is obvious that the processes with the maximum effect regarding gold recovery are those in which complete destruction of sulphides takes place and gold becomes accessible for further cyanidation through liberation from sulphide “capsula”. But the significant recovery increase is often accompanied by a process complexity, high expenses for equipment purchase and maintenance. It makes material processing costinefficient. Process optimization has led to progress in ultrafine grinding, bacterial and autoclave oxidation processes. In our opinion sulphide atmospheric oxidation processes are the most interesting as oxidation there runs without high temperature (up to 100°?) and excess pressure (open units), and with acid environment close to neutral. The process of sulphide concentrates treatment named “Albion” (Albion Process™) represents a combination of ultrafine grinding and oxygen oxidation without pressure and external heating. The process has a number of advantages: sodium cyanide consumption decrease during gold leaching and high ecological compatibility. TOMS institute in collaboration with Glencore Technology Pty ltd (Australia) tested Albion technology aiming at liberation of finely disseminated gold from flotation concentrate produced from refractory ore of one Russian deposit. The testing has shown that Albion technology makes it possible to process refractory products with quite small capital investments. It enables involving medium and small refractory gold deposits into processing.INTRODUCTIONThe considerable part of the world Au-bearing reserves is present by refractory ores with finely disseminated gold. Gold in such ores is often associated with sulphide minerals and locked in so called “sulphide capsula” since it is closed inside dense sulphide grains and inaccessible to recovery by cyanidation. To treat refractory sulphide concentrates containing gold a number of processes were developed and they can be divided into three groups (Figure 1)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Zorigtkhuu Davaanyam, Fisher Wang, Bern Klein, Amit Kumar

"The High Pressure Grinding Roll (HPGR) is an increasingly popular energy efficient solution for comminution of competent ore deposits that primarily competes with conventional crushers and tumbling mills. A significant barrier to increased adoption of HPGRs is the requirement for large amounts (one tonne or more) of sample for pilot testing which may not be feasible for most early staged projects.Various researchers have worked towards developing piston-die and JK drop weight tests to model and predict the energy requirements for an HPGR. Two small scale laboratory test procedures (the SMC test (Morrell, 2009) and the piston press tests (Davaanyam, 2015)) have been developed in recent years to provide necessary information to size an HPGR.These two methods were used to estimate the required specific energy for an HPGR unit and compared to HPGR pilot scale test results from a copper deposit. The comparison provides insight into the benefits and limitations of these tests.INTRODUCTIONHigh pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) have gained popularity in recent years because of their energy efficiency in comminution. Various researchers have suggested that approximately 50–80% of the total energy consumed in a mineral processing plant is used by the comminution equipment (Haque, 1999; Abouzeid & Fuerstenau, 2009; Wang, 2013). Haque (1999) showed that the efficiency of grinding equipment can be as low as 1%. Due to the energy intensive nature of comminution, mining industry has been forced to explore alternative energy efficient processes.An HPGR based circuit has been shown to be 10–25% more energy efficient than a conventional SABC circuit (Von Michaelis, 2009; Wang, 2013). A significant barrier to the increased adaptation of HPGRs is the requirement for a large amount of sample for pilot testing (up to 5 tons), even on a prefeasibility level. Numerous studies have been performed to utilize piston press test to analyze the performance of the HPGR circuit and to predict the energy consumption for an industrial application. This paper uses two small scale laboratory test procedures, the SMC test and a piston press test, to compare the energy requirement to the pilot HPGR data."

Jan 1, 2016

By Aydin Shaterpour Mamaghani, Cemal Balci, Nuh Bilgin, Mucahit Namli, Hanifi Copur

"It is expected that more than 10 Billion USD will be spent in Istanbul in coming years on tunnel boring especially with EPB-TBMs. However, the geology of Istanbul is very complex. Geologic formations changing from Paleozoic to Cenozoic ages cause tremendous problems due to frequently changed rock formations and andesite and diabase dykes. This paper summarizes a universal model to predict the performance of EPB-TBMs which is created upon the data base collected from several projects. The model first is based on predicting field specific energy and power consumed of TBMs using geo-mechanical properties of the excavated material and TBM diameter. Later net production rate is calculated using field specific energy and power consumed by TBM. A methodology to predict machine utilization factor permits to calculate daily advance rates. The validity of the model is tested using the data obtained from two recent metro tunnel projects. 1. INTRODUCTION It is expected that in a near future a total length of 400 km will be excavated in Istanbul in a complex geology. Selecting proper tunneling equipment, organizing an effective operational management with the right tunneling crew will be a major concern for an efficient scheduling of the future projects necessitating to create a model to estimate daily advance rates. Several TBM performance prediction models with few on the prediction of machine utilization time were realized in the past. However, there is quite limited number of research studies on predicting the performance of EPB TBMs. Specially predicting daily advance rates in complex geology, in mixed face, in fractured rocks, in transition zones etc. are in big concern (Namli et al. 2013, 2014). The first experiences in Istanbul with a gripper type TBM was a nightmare, roof collapses caused big delays in tunnel excavation (Bilgin 1993). A typical example to EPB-TBM was Kadikoy-Kozyatagi tunnel, changing TBM from opened mode to closed mode with few modifications on the cutterhead resulted a tremendous increase in the daily advance rates (Bilgin et al. 2009). The data collected from several tunnelling projects served a basis to create a model to predict daily advance rates of EPB TBMs. Within the frame of a research program the validity of the model was tested in Uskudar-Umraniye–Cekmekoy-Sancaktepe metro project and very recently in Mecidiyekoy-Mahmutbey project."

Jan 1, 2016