Mining Engineering Commons^™

Mapping Licit And Illicit Mining Activity In The Madre De Dios Region Of Peru, Arthur Elmes, Josué Gabriel Yarlequé Ipanaqué, John Rogan, Nicholas Cuba, Anthony J. Bebbington

Geography

Since the early 2000s, the Madre de Dios Region of southern Peru has experienced rapid expansion of both licit and illicit mining activities, in the form of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). ASM typically takes place in remote, inaccessible locations and is therefore difficult to monitor in situ. This paper explores the utility of Landsat-5 imagery via decision tree classification to determine ASM locations in Madre de Dios. Spectral mixture analysis was used to unmix Landsat imagery, using WorldView and QuickBird l imagery to aid spectral endmember selection and validate AMS maps. The ASM maps had an overall area-weighted accuracy …

Keeping Civilization From Collapsing, Thomas W. Camm

Mining Engineering

No abstract provided.

Fluid Properties In The Formation Of High-Grade Iron Ore In Northern Minnesota, Elizabeth Drommerhausen

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The Mesabi Iron Range in Northern Minnesota has been a major producer of iron ore for over 100 years. Production has been from the 1.85 – billion-year –old Biwabik Iron Formation, an iron-rich sedimentary rock that is tilted gently to the south. Most of the known high-grade ore lies near the surface and has been already mined. Determining whether more high-grade ore may lie at depth could have significant economic impact on the mining industry in northern Minnesota. To evaluate the likelihood of finding more high-grade iron ore deeper underground, it is important to determine the source of the fluids …

Study On Deterioration Mechanism And Prevention And Curing Techniques Of An Rc Bunker, Henglin Lv, Haijian Xie, Shuchun Zhou, Sun Lei

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

In the coal mining industrial environment, the materials of RC bunkers suffer from serious aging problems. The cracking and deterioration of concrete and the corrosion of steel reinforcement lead to a degeneration of structural performance and a decline of structural reliability. In this paper, based on on-site detection and coal mining ground industrial environment, the deterioration characteristics of RC bunkers were tested. The investigation involved the apparent characteristics, carbonized depth, compression strength of concrete, reinforcement distribution and cover thickness, corrosion rate and mechanical properties of reinforcement, decline degree of bunkers, and so on. Then a design review check was done. …

Separation Of Ash And Sulfur Dioxide During The 2011 Grímsvötn Eruption, E. D. Moxnes, N. I. Kristiansen, A. Stohl, L. Clarisse, A. J. Durant, K. Weber, A. Vogel

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Modeling the transport of volcanic ash and gases released during volcanic eruptions is crucially dependent on knowledge of the source term of the eruption, that is, the source strength as a function of altitude and time. For the first time, an inversion method is used to estimate the source terms of both volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) and ash. It was applied to the explosive volcanic eruption of Grímsvötn, Iceland, in May 2011. The method uses input from the particle dispersion model, FLEXPART (flexible particle dispersion model), a priori source estimates, and satellite observations of SO2 or ash total columns from …

Absorption And Fluorescence Properties Of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter Of The Eastern Bering Sea In The Summer With Special Reference To The Influence Of A Cold Pool, E. J. D'Sa, J. I. Goes, H. Gomes, C. Mouw

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The absorption and fluorescence properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) are reported for the inner shelf, slope waters and outer shelf regions of the eastern Bering Sea during the summer of 2008, when a warm, thermally stratified surface mixed layer lay over a cold pool ( < 2 °C) that occupied the entire middle shelf. CDOM absorption at 355 nm (ag355) and its spectral slope (S) in conjunction with excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) revealed large variability in the characteristics of CDOM in different regions of the Bering Sea. PARAFAC analysis aided in the identification of three humic-like (components one, two and five) and two protein-like (a tyrosine-like component three, and a tryptophan-like component four) components. In the extensive shelf region, average absorption coefficients at 355 nm (ag355, mg-1) and DOC concentrations (μM) were highest in the inner shelf (0.342 ± 0.11 mg-1, 92.67 ± 14.60 μM) and lower in the middle (0.226 ± 0.05 mg-1, 78.38 ± 10.64 μM) and outer (0.185 ± 0.05 mg-1, 79.24 ± 18.01 μM) shelves, respectively. DOC concentrations, however were not significantly different, suggesting CDOM sources and sinks to be uncoupled from DOC. Mean spectral slopes S were elevated in the middle shelf (24.38 ± 2.25 μmg-1) especially in the surface waters (26.87 ± 2.39 μmg-1) indicating high rates of photodegradation in the highly stratified surface mixed layer, which intensified northwards in the northern middle shelf likely contributing to greater light penetration and to phytoplankton blooms at deeper depths. The fluorescent humic-like components one, two, and five were most elevated in the inner shelf most likely from riverine inputs. Along the productive "green belt" in the outer shelf/slope region, absorption and fluorescence properties indicated the presence of fresh and degraded autochthonous DOM. Near the Unimak Pass region of the Aleutian Islands, low DOC and ag355 (mean 66.99 ± 7.94 μM; 0.182 ± 0.05 mg-1) and a high S (mean 25.95 ± 1.58 μmg-1) suggested substantial photobleaching of the Alaska Coastal Water, but high intensities of humic-like and protein-like fluorescence suggested sources of fluorescent DOM from coastal runoff and glacier meltwaters during the summer. The spectral slope S vs. ag355 relationship revealed terrestrial and oceanic end members along with intermediate water masses that were modeled using nonlinear regression equations that could allow water mass differentiation based on CDOM optical properties. Spectral slope S was negatively correlated (r2 = 0.79) with apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) for waters extending from the middle shelf into the deep Bering Sea indicating increasing microbial alteration of CDOM with depth. Although our data show that the CDOM photochemical environment of the Bering Sea is complex, our current information on its optical properties will aid in better understanding of the biogeochemical role of CDOM in carbon budgets in relation to the annual sea ice and phytoplankton dynamics, and to improved algorithms of ocean color remote sensing for this region.

Depolarization Mechanisms Of Pbzr0.52ti0.48o3 And Pbzr0.95ti0.05o3 Poled Ferroelectrics Under High Strain Rate Loading, Sergey I. Shkuratov, Jason Baird, Vladimir G. Antipov, Evgueni F. Talantsev, Hwan R. Jo

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Stress-induced and thermal-induced depolarization studies along with X-ray diffraction were performed on lead zirconate titanate ferroelectrics of different compositions, PbZr_0.52Ti_0.48O₃ (PZT 52/48) and PbZr_0.95Ti_0.05O₃ (PZT 95/5). Specimens were shocked loaded perpendicular to the polarization vector. It was found that the polarity of the stress-induced charge released by PZT 52/48 and 95/5 was opposite to the polarity of the charge generated due to the piezoelectric effect. PZT 52/48 was only partially (45%) depolarized under 1.5±0.1 GPa mechanical compression, as opposed to PZT 95/5 which was fully depolarized. The experimental results indicate …

Seasonal Variability And Long-Term Evolution Of Tropospheric Composition In The Tropics And Southern Hemisphere, K. M. Wai, S. Wu, A. Kumar, H. Liao

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Impacts on tropospheric composition in the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere from biomass burning and other emission sources are studied using a global chemical transport model, surface measurements and satellite retrievals. Seasonal variations in observed CO at remote island sites are examined. Easter Island (eastern Pacific Ocean) is impacted indirectly by the hemispheric zonal transport of CO due to the burning in southern Africa/South America, via the westerlies. An increasing trend in CO by 0.33 ppb yr-1 in the past decade at Ascension Island is attributed to the combined effects of South American/southern Africa burnings and the increases in CH4 …

The Dark Side Of Leadership: Dealing With A Narcissistic Boss, Thomas W. Camm

Mining Engineering

Some of the defining characteristics of narcissists include a grandiose sense of self-importance, preoccupation with success and power, a sense of infallibility, and a supreme confidence in their ability and intelligence. Ironically, many of these characteristics are rewarded in business organizations, which may explain why there seems to be so many narcissists in management positions. Assuming we will be dealing with narcissists throughout our career, it makes sense for us to understand what makes them tick, and more importantly what we can do to work with them in a constructive manner.

An Analysis Of Burn Cut Pull Optimization Through Varying Relief Hole Depths, Michael Robert Allen

Masters Theses

"In underground blasting, the pull of the initial cut is the limiting factor for the success of the rest of the round. By improving the pull of the first cut, a critical step is made towards improving the entire round. This project attempted to optimize a burn cut's effective pull by varying the depths of the relief holes in the burn, and then analyzing the results. In testing, relief holes were drilled to depths both shorter and longer than that of the cut's charged holes. The overall objective was to consistently achieve greater pull than in a standard burn, using …

Innovative Rts Technology For Dry Beneficiation Of Phosphate, Ahmed Sobhy, Daniel Tao

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Crago double flotation process is widely used for upgrading raw phosphate in Florida. However, it is a water-based physicochemical process and consumes a huge amount of water and chemicals and is not efficient to remove dolomite from phosphate. In addition, the final phosphate flotation concentrate often has a grade of 30-31% P2O5, which is below the BPL content of 75% (or 34.3% P2O5) required for making the animal feed grade phosphate. This study is performed to evaluate the potential and feasibility of the innovative rotary triboelectrostatic separator (RTS) as a dry phosphate beneficiation process. The RTS technology is characterized …

Active Current Injection Method For Limiting Ground Fault Current Harmonics In Underground Coal Mines, Yigong Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Current practice in U.S. underground coal mine high-voltage distribution systems is to attempt to limit ground fault current to 25 Amperes and de-energize the circuit at 10 Amperes. However, the significant amount of system capacitance due to the use of shielded cables can cause ground fault current to be two or three times the intended ground fault limit. Consequently, this practice can cause several issues such as ground fault currents significantly exceeding the neutral grounding resistor current limit, loss of relay selectivity in the distribution system, and transient overvoltages in certain ground fault situations. These issues are solved to some …

Distributional Fate Of Elements During The Synthesis Of Zeolites From South African Coal Fly Ash, Pieter W. Du Plessis, Tunde V. Ojumu, Ojo O. Fatoba, Richard O. Akinyeye, Leslie F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The synthesis of zeolites from South African coal fly ash has been deemed a viable solution to the growing economical strain caused by the disposal of ash in the country. Two synthesis routes have been studied thus far namely the 2-step method and the fusion assisted process. Fly ash contains several elements originating from coal which is incorporated in the ash during combustion. It is vital to determine the final destination of these elements in order to unveil optimization opportunities for scale-up purposes. The aim of this study was to perform a material balance study on both synthesis routes to …

Ultra Clean Coal Production Using Dense Medium Separation For The Silicon Market, Seyed Hassan Amini

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

The production of high quality silicon requires the use of ultraclean coal containing less than 1.5% ash. The magnetite used to clean the coal in a dense medium process is a contaminant that seriously impacts the quality of the final silicon product. As such, research has been conducted to evaluate the potential to substitute the magnetite with fine silica–based alternative material generated during the silicon production process. Dense medium cyclone tests were performed based on a statistically designed program to determine the optimum conditions that maximize organic efficiency and minimize probable error and low–density bypass. The results revealed that a …

Status Of Communication And Tracking Technologies In Underground Coal Mines, Alexander D. Douglas

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

In 2006, Congress passed the MINER Act requiring mine operators to submit an emergency response plan that included post-accident communications and tracking systems to MSHA within three years of the Act. These systems were required to be designed for maximum survivability after a catastrophic event, such as a fire or explosion, and to be permissible (meets MSHA criteria for explosion-proof). At that time, no commercially available systems existed that met these standards. Several companies undertook developing new, or enhancing existing, technologies to meet these requirements. This research presents the results of a study that was conducted to determine the present …

Multiscale Modeling Of The Mine Ventilation System And Flow Through The Gob, William Chad Wedding

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

The following dissertation introduces the hazard of methane buildup in the gob zone, a caved region behind a retreating longwall face. This region serves as a reservoir for methane that can bleed into the mine workings. As this methane mixes with air delivered to the longwall panel, explosive concentrations of methane will be reached.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is one of the many approaches to study the gob environment. Several studies in the past have researched this topic and a general approach has been developed that addresses much of the complexity of the problem. The topic of research herein presents …

Development Of Industry Oriented Cfd Code For Analysis / Design Of Face Ventilation Systems, Todor P. Petrov

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Two of the main safety and health issues recognized during deep cut coal mining are methane and dust hazards. Advances in continuous miner technology have improved safety and productivity. However, these advances have created some environmental problems, notably more dust and methane being generated at the face during coal extraction.

Results of studies performed in the last three decades concerning the face ventilation for deep cut mining showed very complicated airflow behavior. The specifics of flow patterns developed by the face ventilation systems presents significant challenge for analytical description even for equipment-free entry. Fortunately, there are methods, such as numerical …

Fragmentation Analysis In The Dynamic Stress Wave Collision Regions In Bench Blasting, Catherine E. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

The first step in many mining operations is blasting, and the purpose of blasting is to fragment the rock mass in the most efficient way for that mine site and the material end use. Over time, new developments to any industry occur, and design and implementation of traditional techniques have to change as a consequence. Possibly the greatest improvement in blasting in recent years is that of electronic detonators. The improvements related to safety and increased fragmentation have been invaluable. There has been ongoing debate within the explosives industry regarding two possible theories for this. Shorter timing delays that allow …

Evaluation Of Overpressure Wave Transition By Airblast Overpressure And Shock Wave Attenuation Analysis Using A Small Black Powder Charge, William R. Weitzel

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Eight flush mount pressure sensors were used in a series of 3 test sequences to measure air overpressure produced by a firecracker. Overpressure was recorded at a range of 1 inch to 21 inches away from detonation, and charge weight was determined to be 0.1mg of black powder. Air overpressure prediction equations were developed from test series then compared to collected data for subsequent tests. Overpressure wave velocity was measured using wave arrival time and distance between sensors. This wave velocity was compared to calculated wave velocity using overpressure and ideal gas law. Overpressure and wave velocity are directly related …

Analysis Of A Ventilation Network In A Multiple Fans Limestone Mine, Ali Haghighat

Masters Theses

"As mining progresses the total resistance of an excavation is increased, the mine characteristic curve becomes steeper, and the operating point moves up the fan curve, reducing the total air quantity and increasing the system pressure. For multi-level ventilation networks with a number of fans the process can be tedious, and on a count of numerous dependent factors the optimal combination of fans is very hard to be achieved. The design of a ventilation network in conjunction with multi surface fans and booster fans entails a complex procedure.

The objective of this study is to provide a plan to improve …