Engineering Commons^™

La Yeguada Volcanic Vomplex In The Republic Of Panama: An Assessment Of The Geologic Hazards Using 40ar/39ar Geochronology, Karinne L. Knutsen, William I. Rose, Brian Jicha

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

La Yeguada volcanic complex is one of three Quaternary volcanic centers in Panama. To assess potential geologic hazards, new samples were analyzed using argon analysis (⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar), and obtained the following: the most recent eruption occurred approximately 32,000 years ago at the Media Luna cinder cone; the youngest dated eruption from the main dome complex occurred 357 ± 19 ka, producing the Castillo dome unit; Cerro Picacho, a separate dacite dome 1.5 km east of the main complex is 4.47 ± 0.23 Ma; and the El Satro Pyroclastic Flow unit surrounds the northern portion of the volcanic …

Diseño E Implementación De Un Sistema De Información Para La Federación Colombiana De Tiro, Cesar Augusto Prieto Henríquez, Alix Leonela Salazar Manrique

Ingeniería en Automatización

La Federación Colombiana de Tiro ha contado a través de la historia con bases de datos ambiguas, administradas a través de software no especializado que restringe el manejo y accesibilidad de la información de cada uno de los miembros. Actualmente la Federación Colombiana de Tiro no cuenta con una base de datos actualizada que le permita tener acceso a los datos completos de cada uno de sus miembros; se presenta dificultad para adquirir información precisa acerca del histórico de cada uno de los deportistas, de acuerdo con los diferentes eventos que se realizan y en los cuales ellos son participantes …

Pyrite: The Strategic Mineral That Became An Industrial Nuisance, Fathi Habashi

Fathi Habashi

Pyrite, known since antiquity, had at one time a great strategic importance because it was the main raw material for making elemental sulfur for gun powder manufacture and for making SO2 for sulfuric acid production. However, when other sources of cheap elemental sulfur became available, pyrite not only lost its importance but became a nuisance for the metallurgical industry because of problems associated with its disposal. At present only pyrite-containing gold is treated by a variety of methods to recover gold.

Method For Coating Mineral Granules To Improve Bonding To Hydrocarbon-Based Substrate And Coloring Of Same, Bowen Li, Ralph Hodek, Domenic Popko, Jiann-Yang Hwang

Michigan Tech Patents

Provided are compositions comprising stamp sand granules embedded in asphalt, where the stamp sand granules comprise a silane coating. Additionally provided are methods of making a silane-coated stamp sand, the methods comprising combining stamp sand granules and a silane solution to form a mixture and drying the mixture. Additionally provided are methods of covering a surface, the methods comprising combining silane-coated particles and asphalt to provide a mixture and distributing the mixture on the surface.

Study On The Surface Chemistry Behavior Of Pyrochlore During Froth Flotation, Saeed Chehreh Chelgani

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Separation of pyrochlore from its associated minerals is typically accomplished by froth flotation. The surface chemistry of pyrochlore is similar to many of its associated non-value minerals. Therefore, understanding the surface chemical properties of the pyrochlore for selective pyrochlore flotation will potentially aid in the design of flotation strategies for optimized recovery. In this study, pyrochlore samples were collected from various points in the flotation scheme at the Niobec plant, Quebec, Canada. The SEM-EDX analysis revealed that pyrochlore from the Niobec deposit occurs as high and low iron varieties, and that recovery favours varieties with a lower Fe content. To …

Projected Effect Of 2000-2050 Changes In Climate And Emissions On Aerosol Levels In China And Associated Transboundary Transport, H. Jiang, H. Liao, H. O.T. Pye, S. Wu, L. J. Mickley, J. H. Seinfeld, X. Y. Zhang

Michigan Tech Publications

We investigate projected 2000-2050 changes in concentrations of aerosols in China and the associated transboundary aerosol transport by using the chemical transport model GEOS-Chem driven by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM) 3 at 4° × 5° resolution. Future changes in climate and emissions projected by the IPCC A1B scenario are imposed separately and together through sensitivity simulations. Accounting for sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, black carbon (BC), and organic carbon (OC) aerosols, concentrations of individual aerosol species change by -1.5 to +0.8 μg m-3, and PM2.5 levels are projected to change by about 10-20% in eastern …

The Size Range Of Bubbles That Produce Ash During Explosive Volcanic Eruptions, Kimberly Genareau, Gopal K. Mulukutla, Alexander A. Proussevitch, Adam J. Durant, William I. Rose, Dork L. Sahagian

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Volcanic eruptions can produce ash particles with a range of sizes and morphologies. Here we morphologically distinguish two textural types: Simple (generally smaller) ash particles, where the observable surface displays a single measureable bubble because there is at most one vesicle imprint preserved on each facet of the particle; and complex ash particles, which display multiple vesicle imprints on their surfaces for measurement and may contain complete, unfragmented vesicles in their interiors. Digital elevation models from stereo-scanning electron microscopic images of complex ash particles from the 14 October 1974 sub-Plinian eruption of Volcán Fuego, Guatemala and the 18 May 1980 …

Impact Of Aging Mechanism On Model Simulated Carbonaceous Aerosols, Y. Huang, S. Wu, M. K. Dubey, N. H.F. French

Michigan Tech Publications

Carbonaceous aerosols including organic carbon and black carbon have significant implications for both climate and air quality. In the current global climate or chemical transport models, a fixed hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic conversion lifetime for carbonaceous aerosol (τ) is generally assumed, which is usually around one day. We have implemented a new detailed aging scheme for carbonaceous aerosols in a chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to account for both the chemical oxidation and the physical condensation-coagulation effects, where τ is affected by local atmospheric environment including atmospheric concentrations of water vapor, ozone, hydroxyl radical and sulfuric acid. The updated τ exhibits large spatial and …

Quantifying The Impact Of Boreal Forest Fires On Tropospheric Oxidants Over The Atlantic Using Aircraft And Satellites (Bortas) Experiment: Design, Execution And Science Overview, P. I. Palmer, M. Parrington, J. D. Lee, A. C. Lewis, A. R. Rickard, P. F. Bernath, T. J. Duck, D. L. Waugh, D. W. Tarasick, R. C. Owen, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

We describe the design and execution of the BORTAS (Quantifying the impact of BOReal forest fires on Tropospheric oxidants over the Atlantic using Aircraft and Satellites) experiment, which has the overarching objective of understanding the chemical aging of air masses that contain the emission products from seasonal boreal wildfires and how these air masses subsequently impact downwind atmospheric composition. The central focus of the experiment was a two-week deployment of the UK BAe-146-301 Atmospheric Research Aircraft (ARA) over eastern Canada, based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Atmospheric ground-based and sonde measurements over Canada and the Azores associated with the planned …

Mining, Uranium, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides an overview of uranium mining's role and influence in the American West with comparative information on uranium mining in foreign countries.

Energy, U.S. Department Of, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides information about the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies and how DOE influences federal energy policy and scientific research in the western U.S.

Modeling Of 2008 Kasatochi Volcanic Sulfate Direct Radiative Forcing: Assimilation Of Omi So < Inf> 2 Plume Height Data And Comparison With Modis And Caliop Observations, J. Wang, S. Park, J. Zeng, C. Ge, K. Yang, S. Carn, N. Krotkov, A. H. Omar

Michigan Tech Publications

Volcanic SO2 column amount and injection height retrieved from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) with the Extended Iterative Spectral Fitting (EISF) technique are used to initialize a global chemistry transport model (GEOS-Chem) to simulate the atmospheric transport and lifecycle of volcanic SO2 and sulfate aerosol from the 2008 Kasatochi eruption, and to subsequently estimate the direct shortwave, top-of-the-atmosphere radiative forcing of the volcanic sulfate aerosol. Analysis shows that the integrated use of OMI SO2 plume height in GEOS-Chem yields: (a) good agreement of the temporal evolution of 3-D volcanic sulfate distributions between model simulations and satellite observations from the Moderate …

Validation Of The Fall3d Model For The 2008 Chaitén Eruption Using Field And Satellite Data, María Soledad Osores, Arnau Folch, Estela Collini, Gustavo Villarosa, Adam J. Durant, Gloria Pujol, José G. Viramonte

Michigan Tech Publications

The 2008 Chaitén Volcano eruption began on 2 May 2008 with an explosive phase that injected large amounts of tephra into the atmosphere. During the first week of the eruption, volcanic ash clouds were transported for hundreds of kilometres over Argentina by the prevailing westerly winds. Tephra deposition extended to the Atlantic Ocean and severely affected the Argentinean Patagonia. Impacts included air and water quality degradation, disruption of ground transportation systems and cancellation of flights at airports more than 1,500 km apart. We use the FALL3D tephra transport model coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting-Advanced Research Weather (WRF-ARW) meteorological …

Power And Politics In Organizations, Thomas W. Camm

Mining Engineering

Aristotle made the observation that man is a political animal. Engineers often like to think they are above the fray when it comes to organizational politics, but most organizational theorists believe politics is a fundamental dynamic in any group. This paper examines the various ways that people use power within organizations to negotiate the political interactions in the work place.

Development Of 15 Psi Safe Haven Polycarbonate Walls For Use In Underground Coal Mines, Rex Allen Meyr Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Following three major mining accidents in 2006, the MINER Act of 2006 was enacted by MSHA and required every underground coal mine to install refuge alternatives to help prevent future fatalities of trapped miners in the event of a disaster. The following research was performed in response to NIOSH’s call for the investigation into new refuge alternatives. A 15 psi safe haven polycarbonate wall for use in underground coal mines was designed and modeled using finite element modeling in ANSYS Explicit Dynamics. The successful design was tested multiple times in both half-scale and small scale using a high explosive shock …

Cavitation Nanobubble Enhanced Flotation Process For More Efficient Coal Recovery, Ahmed S. Sayed Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Froth flotation is a widely used, cost effective particle separation process. However, its high performance is limited to a narrow particle size range, e.g., between 50 µm and 600 µm for coal and between 10 µm and 100 µm for minerals. Outside this range, the efficiency of froth flotation decreases significantly, especially for difficult-to-float particles of weak hydrophobicity (e.g., oxidized coal).

Nanobubbles integrated into a specially designed column flotation expanded the particle size range for efficient froth flotation as a result of increased probabilities of particle- bubble collision and attachment and reduced probability of detachment.

The major advantages of nanobubble …

Modeling Of An Air-Based Density Separator, Tathagata Ghosh

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

There is a lack of fundamental studies by means of state of the art numerical and scale modeling techniques scrutinizing the theoretical and technical aspect of air table separators as well as means to comprehend and improve the efficiency of the process. The dissertation details the development of a workable empirical model, a numerical model and a scale model to demonstrate the use of a laboratory air table unit.

The modern air-based density separator achieves effective density-based separation for particle sizes greater than 6 mm. Parametric studies with the laboratory scale unit using low rank coal have demonstrated the applicability …

Froth Flotation Performance Enhancement By Feed Cavitation And Magnetic Plastic Particle Addition, Mehmet Saracoglu

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Froth flotation is the most commonly used process to recover and upgrade the portion of the coal preparation plant feed that has a particle size smaller than 150 microns. Problems that occur when employing froth flotation in the coal industry include i) coal surfaces that are weakly-to-moderately hydrophobic, and ii) flotation systems that are overloaded and limited by insufficient retention time.

Research was performed to evaluate techniques that could be implemented to improve flotation performance under the aforementioned scenarios. Pre-aeration of flotation feed using a cavitation system was extensively evaluated in laboratory and full-scale test programs. The benefits of adding …

Nonlinear Granger Causality And Its Application In Decoding Of Human Reaching Intentions, Mengting Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

Multi-electrode recording is a key technology that allows the brain mechanisms of decision making, cognition, and their breakdown in diseases to be studied from a network perspective. As the hypotheses concerning the role of neural interactions in cognitive paradigms become increasingly more elaborate, the ability to evaluate the direction of neural interactions in neural networks holds the key to distinguishing their functional significance.

Granger Causality (GC) is used to detect the directional influence of signals between multiple locations. To extract the nonlinear directional flow, GC was completed through a nonlinear predictive approach using radial basis functions (RBF). Furthermore, to obtain …

Predicting The Dynamic Behavior Of Coal Mine Tailings Using State-Of-Practice Geotechnical Field Methods, Ali Salehian

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

This study is focused on developing a method to predict the dynamic behavior of mine tailings dams under earthquake loading. Tailings dams are a by-product of coal mining and processing activities. Mine tailings impoundments are prone to instability and failure under seismic loading as a result of the mechanical behavior of the tailings. Due to the existence of potential seismic sources in close proximity to the coal mining regions in the United States, it is necessary to assess the post-earthquake stability of these tailings dams.

To develop the aforementioned methodology, 34 cyclic triaxial tests along with vane shear tests were …

Experimental Comparison Study Of The Response Of Polycarbonate And Laminated Glass Blast Resistant Glazing Systems To Blast Loading, Joshua Calnan

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

This thesis recounts the experimental study of the dynamic response of polycarbonate blast resistant glazing systems to explosive loading through the use of triaxial load cells, pressure sensors, and a laser displacement gauge. This instrumentation captured the response of the glazing systems to blast loading over three phases of testing. The first phase of testing characterizes the load distribution around the perimeter and the second phase examines the repeatability of the results. The final phase of testing pushes the samples to failure. The results are then compared to HazL, a commonly used blast resistant glazing system analysis software tool. The …

A Framework For Understanding The Public's Perspectives Of Mining Applied To The Kentucky Coal Industry, Joshua M. Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

People’s perceptions of mining are heavily based on the media they consume and the messages therein. News outlets ordinarily report on mining only when there is an accident or environmental concern. When messages that the public is exposed to are negative, it is no wonder that there are negative perceptions about mining.

Current public relations campaigns on the behalf of specific companies or select sectors do exist; however, this is often a reactionary move in response to recent shifts in the socio-political environment. The details of these campaigns are often tied up in proprietary information or withheld by public relations …

Characterizing The Variability In Respirable Dust Exposure Using Johnson Transformation And Re-Examining 2010 Proposed Changes To The U.S. Underground Coal Mine Dust Standard, Al I. Khan

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), commonly referred to as black lung, is a chronic lung disease that results from the inhalation and deposition of coal dust in the lungs. While this disease continues to afflict coal miners, its prevalence has steadily declined over three decades since 1970. Based on a voluntary X-ray surveillance program, conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), this downward trend, however, ended in 2000 and has actually begun to rise. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) instituted a Comprehensive Initiative to “End Black Lung” to combat the reported upturn in black …

Enhanced Phosphate Flotation Using Novel Depressants, Lingyu Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Froth flotation is the most efficient method for phosphate separation, which is a physic-chemical separation process based on the difference of surface properties between the valuable minerals and unwanted gangue minerals. However, the presence of clay slimes in the slurry after grinding consumes a large amount of reagents, decreases the collision probability between bubbles and minerals, prevents phosphate particle attachment to air bubbles, and thus considerably reduces flotation recovery and concentrate grade. Georgia Pacific Chemical, LLC has recently developed novel depressants, i.e., clay binders, which are a series of low molecular weight specialty polymers to help improve phosphate flotation performance …

Coupling Numerical Simulation And Pattern Recognition To Model Production And Evaluate Carbon Dioxide Injection In Shale Gas Reservoir, Amirmasoud Kalantari-Dahaghi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Massive multi-cluster, multi-stage hydraulic fractures have significantly increased the complexity of the flow behavior in shale. This has translated into multiple challenges in the modeling of production from shale wells.

Most commonly used numerical techniques for modeling production from shale wells are Explicit Hydraulic Fracture (EHF) and Stimulated Reservoir Volume (SRV). Model setup for the EHF technique is long and laborious and its implementation is computationally expensive, such that it becomes impractical to model beyond a single pad. On the other hand, identifying the extent and conductivity of SRV is a challenging proposition. SRV technique is commonly used to simplify …

Extension Of Thickness-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown Law On Adiabatically Compressed Ferroelectric Materials, S. I. Shkuratov, Jason Baird, E. F. Talantsev

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

It is experimentally found that the E_b(d) = γ  · d ^-ξ law describing the thickness-dependent breakdown electric field for solid dielectrics at ambient conditions can be extended for dielectrics in other thermodynamic states. It follows from the experimental results reported herein that the breakdown field, E_b(d), of Pb(Zr₀.₉₅Ti₀.₀₅)O₃ (PZT 95/5) and Pb(Zr₀.₅₂Ti₀.₄₈)O₃ (PZT 52/48) ferroelectrics subjected to explosive adiabatic compression obeys the above-mentioned law in a wide range of voltages, up to 150 kV.

Spatial Variation Of Amd Related Co₂ Emissions On Reclaimed Mine Spoil, Moagabo Mathiba

Doctoral Dissertations

"Carbon dioxide (CO₂) from acid mine drainage (AMD)-carbonate neutralization reactions in reclaimed mine spoils, can intermittently invade homes and structures constructed on or adjacent to these spoils in hazardous and even lethal concentrations (>15%) and rendering them uninhabitable. This phenomenon is beginning to be recognized as an emerging environmental, safety and health threat with potential environmental and financial liability for mine operators, developers and owners.

Like in natural soils, soil temperature and moisture, and possibly elevation are likely to influence CO₂ emissions from reclaimed mine spoils. However, mine spoil soils are heterogeneous and have significant convective transport due to …

Experiments To Measure The Effects Of Timber Harvesting Equipment On Surface Lithic Scatters, Douglas J. Baughman

All Master's Theses

The importance of cultural resource preservation cannot be overstated; however local economies are at least as important. Due to conservative archaeological site protection practices in Region 5 of the United States Forest Service, the economy of Northeastern California is being adversely affected. In an attempt to help the Forest Service make more informed management decisions and improve the Northeastern California economy, I undertook experiments on the effects of timber harvesting on lithic scatters on Modoc National Forest. The experiments involved placement of 225 glass tiles (proxy lithics) in each of three plots subject to vehicle traffic and log dragging by …

Stochastic-Optimization Of Equipment Productivity In Multi-Seam Formations, Elijah Adadzi

Masters Theses

"Short and long range planning and execution for multi-seam coal formations (MSFs) are challenging with complex extraction mechanisms. Stripping equipment selection and scheduling are functions of the physical dynamics of the mine and the operational mechanisms of its components, thus its productivity is dependent on these parameters. Previous research studies did not incorporate quantitative relationships between equipment productivities and extraction dynamics in MSFs. The intrinsic variability of excavation and spoiling dynamics must also form part of existing models. This research formulates quantitative relationships of equipment productivities using Branch-and-Bound algorithms and Lagrange Parameterization approaches. The stochastic processes are resolved via Monte …

Utilization Of Booster Fans In Underground Mines, Arash Habibi Javanbakht

Masters Theses

"Booster fans are large underground fans that can increase the volumetric efficiency of ventilation systems by balancing the pressure and quantity distribution throughout a mine, reducing leakage and reducing the total power requirement. The objective of this study is to provide potential users of booster fans with the necessary information on the design, installation and operation of main underground fans. The guidelines listed in this paper were formulated based on current U.S. and international standards, safe operating practices developed by the mining industry, and recommendations provided by fan manufacturers. The principles involved in the design and installation of booster fans …