Mining Engineering Commons^™

Reference Data Set Of Volcanic Ash Physicochemical And Optical Properties, A. Vogel, S. Diplas, A. J. Durant, A. S. Azar, M. F. Sunding, William I. Rose, A. Sytchkova, C. Bonadonna, K. Krüger, A. Stohl

William I. Rose

Uncertainty in the physicochemical and optical properties of volcanic ash particles creates errors in the detection and modeling of volcanic ash clouds and in quantification of their potential impacts. In this study, we provide a data set that describes the physicochemical and optical properties of a representative selection of volcanic ash samples from nine different volcanic eruptions covering a wide range of silica contents (50–80 wt % SiO2). We measured and calculated parameters describing the physical (size distribution, complex shape, and dense-rock equivalent mass density), chemical (bulk and surface composition), and optical (complex refractive index from ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths) …

Reference Data Set Of Volcanic Ash Physicochemical And Optical Properties, A. Vogel, S. Diplas, A. J. Durant, A. S. Azar, M. F. Sunding, William I. Rose, A. Sytchkova, C. Bonadonna, K. Krüger, A. Stohl

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Uncertainty in the physicochemical and optical properties of volcanic ash particles creates errors in the detection and modeling of volcanic ash clouds and in quantification of their potential impacts. In this study, we provide a data set that describes the physicochemical and optical properties of a representative selection of volcanic ash samples from nine different volcanic eruptions covering a wide range of silica contents (50–80 wt % SiO₂). We measured and calculated parameters describing the physical (size distribution, complex shape, and dense-rock equivalent mass density), chemical (bulk and surface composition), and optical (complex refractive index from ultraviolet to …

Comparing Distributed Acoustic Sensing To Three-Component Geophones In An Underground Mine, Nikolas Nesladek

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Geophones have become the industry standard for seismic data collection. However, a relatively new method is gaining popularity called Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). DAS uses changes in backscattered light of a fiber-optic cable to detect strain from acoustic energy. The purpose of this project was to make a direct comparison between DAS and three component geophones, specifically in a mining setting. Experiments were done in the Underground Education Mining Center on the campus of Montana Tech. The sources used for this project were vertical sledgehammer shots, oriented shear sledgehammer shots, and blasting caps set off in both unstemmed and stemmed …

Tailings Dust Emissions, Emily Degner, Sam Horn, Zakary Galligan, Ryan Bernard, Julie Jameson, Josh Mueller, Natalie Tucker, Joe Griffin

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fugitive dust emissions from the storage and handling of mine tailings presents environmental and safety concerns, which must be addressed to promote the land sustainability and the health and safety of individuals around a tailings storage facility (TSF). The investigated dust control methods were agglomeration, binder slurry injection, and topical spray.

The Dust Busters determined that pelletizing was the most practical method of agglomeration. In order to produce durable pellets from the mine tailings, which consist primarily of silica, a binder must be added. A variety of binders were considered including magnesium and calcium chloride, bentonite, barite, cement, vinyl polymers, …

Characterization Of Granite And Subsequent Ground Control Management Plan At Orphan Boy Mine – Butte, Montana, Emily Rose

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Underground Mine Education Center (UMEC) and World Museum of Mining facilities began as shallow underground mines in the 1880’s during the mining boom that populated Butte, Montana. The UMEC is a multi-disciplinary facility that provides an on-campus underground laboratory environment and a place for students to learn and practice practical underground mining techniques; therefore, the longevity of the facility is important to Montana Tech. The goal of this project is to develop a Ground Control Management Plan (GCMP) for the UMEC and World Museum of Mining facilities.

The World Museum of Mining (Orphan Girl) and UMEC (Orphan Boy) facilities …

Assessment Of Potential Impacts To Surface And Subsurface Water Bodies Due To Longwall Mining, Christopher R. Newman, Zacharias Agioutantis, Gabriel Boede Jimenez Leon

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

Ground movements due to longwall mining operations have the potential to damage the hydrological balance within as well as outside the mine permit area in the form of increased surface ponding and changes to hydrogeological properties. Recently, the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) in the USA, has completed a public comment period on a newly proposed rule for the protection of streams and groundwater from adverse impacts of surface and underground mining operations (80 FR 44435). With increased community and regulatory focus on mining operations and their potential to adversely affect streams and groundwater, now there is …

Mining Asteroids For Volatile Resources: An Experimental Demonstration Of Extraction And Recovery, Egboche Christopher Unobe

Masters Theses

"Gaseous compounds trapped within carbonaceous asteroids may prove to be important targets for prospective space miners in the near-term. Volatile release is from hydrated, hydroxylated and carbonated phases present, making such bodies attractive as feedstock for the production of H₂O, CO₂ and simple organic compounds. A source of these species in orbit provides an opportunity to locally produce space-craft propellant and other life-support gases through the application of In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU).

For this study, an experimental vacuum system was modified and used to test the technical validity of radiatively heating asteroid simulants to extract contained gaseous …

Modeling Dynamic Community Acceptance Of Mining Using Agent-Based Modeling, Mark Kofi Boateng

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research attempts to provide fundamental understanding into the relationship between perceived sustainability of mineral projects and community acceptance. The main objective is to apply agent-based modeling (ABM) and discrete choice modeling to understand changes in community acceptance over time due to changes in community demographics and perceptions. This objective focuses on: 1) formulating agent utility functions for ABM, based on discrete choice theory; 2) applying ABM to account for the effect of information diffusion on community acceptance; and 3) explaining the relationship between initial conditions, topology, and rate of interactions, on one hand, and community acceptance on the other …