Mining Engineering Commons^™

Development, Analysis And Case Studies Of Impact Resistant Steel Sets For Underground Roof Fall Rehabilitation, Dakota D. Faulkner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Underground mines often experience roof falls in entries, crosscuts, and intersections of active mining sections, main travel ways, and belt entries. Roof fall heights greater than 20 ft (6 m) make re-bolting of the newly exposed roof dangerous and impractical. To protect mine personnel, belts, moving vehicles, and other equipment, mine operators typically install steel structures such as square or arch sets in the roof fall areas. Wood lagging is usually installed between the steel-sets to enclose the area and protect the entry from recurring falls. Usually the void space above the steel-sets and wood lagging is backfilled. However, backfilling …

Fundamental Studies On The Recovery Of Rare Earth Elements From Acid Mine Drainage, Xue Huang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are a group of 17 chemically similar elements that are essential raw materials for modern society. Given their increasing importance in civil and defense applications, many national governments, including the US, have denoted the REEs as critical materials and emphasized the need to identify and develop both conventional and unconventional resources to meet the growing demand. To address this challenge, the US Department of Energy has recently spearheaded efforts to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of recovering REEs from coal and coal byproducts, which have been shown to contain REEs at an elevated concentration …

Solutions To Some Mine Subsidence Research Challenges, Jian Yang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this work is to address three challenging topics, (1) effects of overburden key strata on subsurface subsidence; (2) effects of longwall subsidence on interstate highways and highway bridges; and (3) effects of dewatering mine water on surface subsidence over inactive room-and-pillar mines, in mine subsidence and to continue improvement of mine safety and health by reducing mine-subsidence related hazards.

Surface and subsurface subsidence events induced by underground mining activities are often capable of causing significant disturbances not only to surface structures, but also to subsurface structures. In this work, models and techniques to study three challenging topics …

Rational Drilling Control Parameters To Reduce Respirable Dust During Roof Bolting Operations, Hua Jiang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Roof bolting has been the primary means to improve mine safety in the aspect of preventing different types of roof falls in underground mines. However, based on the published researches, underground roof bolting operators exhibit a continued risk for overexposure to high levels of respirable coal and crystalline silica dust from the roof drilling operation. Inhaling these dust can cause coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), also known as black lung. Another job-related lung disease silicosis, a disabling and even fatal and irreversible illness, could be developed through overexposure to quartz-laden dust. A recent NIOSH research shows that the quartz content in …

Separation Of Radionuclides From A Rare Earth-Containing Solution By Zeolite Adsorption, Deniz Talan, Qingqing Huang

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The increasing industrial demand for rare earths requires new or alternative sources to be found. Within this context, there have been studies validating the technical feasibility of coal and coal byproducts as alternative sources for rare earth elements. Nonetheless, radioactive materials, such as thorium and uranium, are frequently seen in the rare earths’ mineralization, and causes environmental and health concerns. Consequently, there exists an urgent need to remove these radionuclides in order to produce high purity rare earths to diversify the supply chain, as well as maintain an environmentally-favorable extraction process for the surroundings. In this study, an experimental design …

Internet Of Things For Sustainable Mining, Abdul Salam

Computer Information Technology Faculty Publications

The sustainable mining Internet of Things deals with the applications of IoT technology to the coupled needs of sustainable recovery of metals and a healthy environment for a thriving planet. In this chapter, the IoT architecture and technology is presented to support development of a digital mining platform emphasizing the exploration of rock–fluid–environment interactions to develop extraction methods with maximum economic benefit, while maintaining and preserving both water quantity and quality, soil, and, ultimately, human health. New perspectives are provided for IoT applications in developing new mineral resources, improved management of tailings, monitoring and mitigating contamination from mining. Moreover, tools …

Evaluating The Effect Of Emulsion On Wax Deposition Prevention Of Oil From Fang Oil Field, Tanapol Ruengnam

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Due to the COVID-19 situation, the energy consumption demand right now declines. However, the trend predicted by EIA is that the demand will be fully recovered at the end of 2022. Thus, it is important to maintain the production without disruption from flow assurance issue. In addition, wax deposition is one of the important issues for flow assurance. To manage the wax deposition, there are 3 major methods which are mechanical, thermal and chemical methods. The chemical method can easily be utilized. For this study, wax deposition prevention is studied with chemical method. Also, the study is investigating the effect …

Copper And Gold In Vapors And Liquids As A Function Of Hcl At 700°C And 100 Mpa, Corrie A. Lucchesi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Porphyry ore deposits are major sources of copper (Cu) and gold (Au) and form when a magmatic volatile phase (MVP) exsolves from a porphyritic intermediate to felsic melt and transports metals to surrounding country rock where they precipitate in an ore zone. There is a consensus that the chloride concentration of the MVP has a direct relationship to the concentration of Cu and Au in the MVP, but the role of dissolved HCl on Cu and Au concentrations has not been addressed. It is hypothesized that increasing HCl concentrations in the MVP will result in higher concentrations of Cu and …

Shock Wave Propagation Behavior At Corners And Crosscuts In Five Small-Scale Tunnel Scenarios, David Pierre Doucet

Masters Theses

"Shock wave propagation in tunnels and other enclosed environments is substantially more complicated than in an open-air or even a surface detonation. There is still much to learn about how shock wave properties change as a wave propagates in an enclosed space, such as a mine tunnel, inside of a building, or city street. The geometry of the enclosure will have a large role in the propagation of the shock wave. This means that many different tunnel designs must be studied. This work tested five different designs using a modular small-scale model. The scenarios tested were Straight-line, Single Turn, Around …

An Interactive Mobile Equipment Task-Training With Virtual Reality, Lazar Zujovic

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Improving the quality of equipment training for the Heavy Equipment Operators (HEO) is a critical task in the ever-lasting effort to improve safety and eliminate equipment-related injuries in mining environments. Traditional miner training includes the use of hardcopy documents and video instructions. However, modern mobile and computer technology offers tremendous potential to improve the training process. One major responsibility for the heavy-machine operators is proper machine inspection. Establishing new training methods that utilize modern technologies—such as 360-degree images, videos, and Virtual Reality—and implementing computers for training purposes have a potential to help new operators learn how to conduct proper machine …

Adaptation Of Coal Mine Floor Rating (Cmfr) To Eastern U.S. Coal Mines, Sena Cicek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Floor heave—the excessive deformation and failure of floor strata—is a serious problem for many underground coal mining operations in the U.S. There is an accepted floor heave design methodology developed for the Illinois basin coal mines (Gadde, 2009). However, for Eastern U.S. coal mines in the Appalachian region, there is not any systematic design method to assess floor heave potential. In order to prevent stability problems associated with floor failure and to ensure the safety of the miners in this region, a systematic and proactive method to assess the potential of floor stability that also takes the floor failure mechanisms …

Design And Development Of A Multi-Nodal Methane Detection System For Longwall Coal Mining, Amber P. Barr

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Methane (CH4) explosions pose significant dangers in longwall mining that may lead to injuries and fatalities. Safety is improved through diligent monitoring of CH4 concentration. Currently, regulations require a CH4 monitor be placed on the shearer, downwind of the cutting head. Portable monitor measurements must be taken at various times and locations. If any CH4 monitor measures a concentration greater than 1%, a warning signal must be given. Based on previous research and the location of the CH4 monitor mounted on the shearer (closest monitor to the face), if 1% methane is measured, the concentration at the face may be …

Modeling And Optimization Of Froth Flotation Of Low-Grade Phosphate Ores: Experiments And Machine Learning, Ashraf Alsafasfeh

Doctoral Dissertations

”In this research work, bench-scale and micro-scale flotation tests were conducted to separate “minerals from silicate minerals using direct and reverse flotation approaches, respectively. Experiments were conducted at different flotation conditions including reagents’ type, reagents’ dosages, pulp’s pH, and flotation time.

In the direct flotation process, two polymers were selected to promote the depression of silicates: hybrid polyacrylamide-based polymers (Hy-PAM) and chitosan. Results indicated that the highest recovery of P₂O₅ (86.82%) was obtained when the Hy-PAM polymer was used compared with 66.7% and 40% when chitosan and commercial inorganic depressant were used, respectively. The experimental datasets obtained …

Application Of Geophysics And Remote Sensing Techniques For Economic Mineral Exploitation In Libya, Awad Abdussalam Henish Lemnifi

Doctoral Dissertations

“This study investigates crustal thickness and properties within the north central Africa region. Results obtained from 15 seismic stations belonging to the Libyan Center for Remote Sensing and Space Science are reported, in addition to 3 seismic stations publically available, using receiver functions, the first P-to-S receiver function investigation of the 410 km and 660 km depth discontinuities bounding the mantle transition zone (MTZ), and P wave tomography methods. The results from the first method show crustal thicknesses ranging from 24 km to 36 km (with uncertainties ranging between ±0.10 km and ±0.90 km). More specifically, crustal thickness ranges from …

Role Of Ergonomics In The Selection Of Stemming Plugs For Surface Mining Operations, Atta Ur Rehman, Muhammad Zaka Emad, Muhammad Usman Khan

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Stemming plugs are one of the widely used accessories in surface mining operations. Stemming plugs assist conventional stemming material in gas retention and help in better fragmentation and explosive utilization. Effective use of the stemming plugs results in economic benefits and enhance the efficacy of the project. Economic and productive viability of stemming plugs have been conducted in depth by different researchers. Addition of stemming plugs to a new system requires ergonomic challenges for operators conducting drilling and blasting operation. Induction of a newer product in already established system is subject to overall positive feedback. This work investigates ergonomics of …

Environmental Impact Of The Mechanical Coal Processing Plant, Witold Bialy, Wes Grebski, Greg Galecki, Wojciech Kaniak

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The enrichment of hard coal is one of the stages of mineral resources management. It is aimed at adapting its quality parameters to different recipients' requirements, considered as a stage of mineral resources management. This process is treated as a stage of clean coal technologies or as a process of improving the economics of mining plants, which takes place in the Mechanical Coal Processing Plant (ZMPW). Adaptation of the quality of commercial coal products to the needs of specific recipients consists of removing useless components of the excavated material. In this publication, factors having a negative impact on the environment …

Guest Editorial-Special Issue On Ground Control In Mining In 2019, Michael M. Murphy, Ted Klemetti, Heather Lawson, Brijes Mishra, Kyle A. Perry

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

An Experimental Research On Cationic Reverse Flotation Of Anshan-Type Iron Ores, Zhonghang Chen, Dianbing Zhu, Shujuan Dai, Ahmed Sobhy

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The mineral processing technology of Anshan-type iron ores has been developed in a rapid speed in recent years, and the combined flowsheet at the core of anionic reverse flotation has become a mainstream in the beneficiation of Anshan-type iron ores in China. With the successful application of this combined flowsheet, some obvious problems are also emerging. Such as high requirement of pulp temperature, complex reagent system, high cost of reagent consumption and so on. In view of this, we have carried out an experimental study on the separation of Anshan type iron ore by cationic reverse flotation. A new collector …

On The Investigation Of Hot Tearing Behavior Of Continuous Cast Steel, Yanru Lu

Masters Theses

”Hot tearing has long been recognized as a major problem that plagues the development of the continuous casting process and results in low-quality products. Understanding of the mechanisms and the required conditions for the hot tearing formation is important for industries but has not been well-established yet. Thus, this research focuses on the hot tearing issue observed in continuous cast steel, by providing a summary of the current research progress and then introducing a new laboratory method to determine the thermo-mechanical properties relevant to hot tearing of different steel grades under different solidification conditions. In this method, an apparatus was …

Additive Manufacturing Of Linear Shaped Charges To Address Run Up And Run Down Phenomena, Jason Ho

Masters Theses

”A shaped charge is an explosive device used to focus detonation energy in a desired direction. Additive Manufacturing (AM) can allow greater design freedom and geometric complexity for the liner portion of the shaped charge.

In this work, the following hypotheses were tested: 1) Adjusting the initial apex angle of a linear shaped charge liner reduces the amount of run up that occurs, and 2) implementing a backstop at the end of a linear shaped charge liner reduces the amount of run down that occurs.

Linear shaped charge liners with a continuously changing apex angle were created with additive manufacturing. …