Determination of the desiccation behavior of clay slurries

The main objective of this study was to determine the desiccation behavior of clay slurries. A clay slurry with high water adsorption capacity(W_L = 180%,W_P 60%,W_s = 20) was used to determine the soil water characteristic curve(SWCC), shrinkage curve, and hydraulic conductivity. The last parameter was determined similar to the Instantaneous Profile Method using evaporation tests. Results indicated that the clay slurry had an air entry value(AEV) of 1000 kPa and a residual suction of 5000 kPa that occurred at the plastic limit and the shrinkage limit, respectively. The discrepancy between theoretical and measured shrinkage limit was due to the gradual increase in clay particle contact. Unlike soils, the saturated hydraulic conductivity varied by two orders of magnitude(4×10 ~10 m/s at 20 kPa to 3 x 10 ~12 m/s at AEV). The unsaturated k further decreased to 10 ~14 m/s at 6 x 10~4 kPa beyond which vapor flow took place.     

Geotechnical behavior of uranium mill tailings from Saskatchewan,Canada

This paper investigates the geotechnical behavior of uranium mill tailings from Saskatchewan, Canada.The 4% tailings were well-graded with 29% fines whereas the 5% and 6% tailings were gap-graded with 49% fines. All samples exhibited a negligible strength(0.4 k Pa) up to 60% solids, followed by a rapid increase. The 4% tailings exhibited a lower rate and amount of settlement than 5% and 6% tailings. The kidecreased from 10~(-2)to 10~(-4)m/s with a decrease in eifrom 16 to 4 and a decrease in ef from 8 to 4 such that 4% tailings showed one order of magnitude lower values than the 5% and 6%tailings. The settling potential decreased ten times(50%–5%) for 4% tailings and four times(60%–15%)for 5% and 6% tailings. The effective stress increased from 80 to 260 Pa in the settling tests. The 4%tailings were less prone to segregation when compared with 5% and 6% tailings. The average solids content after settling was 35% for 4% tailings, 40% for 5% tailings and 39% for 6% tailings with a solids content deviation of ±3%, ±8%, ±6%, respectively. All materials were essentially non-segregating at 40%initial solids.     

Effect of agitation on the characteristics of air dense medium fluidization

In order to study the effect of agitation on the characteristics of air dense medium fluidization, we designed and constructed an agitation device. Analyses were then conducted on the fluidization characteristics curves, the bed density stability and the average bubble rise velocity Uaunder different agitation conditions. The results indicated that a lower bed pressure drop(without considering lower gas velocity in a fixed bed stage) and higher minimum fluidized velocity are achieved with increasing agitation speed.The height d(distance between the lower blades and air distribution plate) at which the agitation paddle was located had a considerable effect on the stability of the bed density at 9.36 cm/s U 10.70 cm/s. The higher the value of d, the better the stability, and the standard deviation of the bed density fluctuation r dropped to 0.0364 g/cm~3 at the ideal condition of d = 40 mm. The agitation speed also had a significant influence on the fluidization performance, and r was only 0.0286 g/cm~3 at an agitation speed of N = 75 r/min. The average bubble rise velocity decreased significantly with increasing agitation speed under the operating condition of 1.50 cm/s U–U_(mf) 3.50 cm/s. This shows that appropriate agitation contributes to a significant improvement in the fluidization quality in a fluidized bed, and enhances the separation performance of a fluidized bed.     

Strength behaviour of sandstone subjected to polyaxial state of stress

The paper presents an experimental investigation on the strength behaviour of natural rock subjected to polyaxial state of stress. The polyaxial tests were conducted on cubical specimens of sandstone obtained from the Shivpuri district in Madhya Pradesh state of India, The specimens having nominal dimensions of100 mm x 100 mm x 100 mm were tested using a polyaxial testing machine. Twenty-five combinations of intermediate and minor principal stresses were applied and the specimens were loaded till failure occurs. It was observed that the intermediate principal stress has a substantial effect on the strength of the Shivpuri sandstone. A database of rock strength under various combinations of σ_2 and σ_3 was obtained for the Shivpuri sandstone. The database was used to study the predictability of five most commonly used strength criterion. Root mean square error(RMSE), average absolute relative error percentage(AAREP) and coefficient of accordance(COA) were used as indices for the measure of goodness of fit. It was observed that the least error in the prediction was shown by modified Mohr Coulomb criterion followed by modified Weibols and Cook criterion. A probability analysis of the error in prediction was also done.     

Surface magnetization of siderite mineral

Surface self-magnetization of siderite is achieved by generating ferromagnetic substance on the surface of siderite by adjusting slurry temperature, pH value, stirring rate and reaction time. No addition of any iron-containing reagent is required. The temperature of 60 °C, NaOH concentration of 0.10 mol/L; stirring rate of 900 r/min and the reaction time of 10 min are the optimal conditions. The results show that the siderite recovery in magnetic separation increased from 26.9% to 88.8% after surface magnetization. Magnetization kinetic equation is expressed as 1 ? [1 ? (? ? 0.269)]^1/3 = Kt. Activation energy for the magnetization reaction is 4.30 kJ/mol. VSM, SEM and XPS were used to characterize the siderite, and results show that the saturated magnetization (σ_s) of siderite increased from 0.652 to 2.569 A m²/kg, the magnetic hysteresis was detected with a coercive force of 0.976 A/m after magnetization; Fe2P3/2 electron binding energy changed which reflects the valence alteration in iron on the surface and the formation of ferromagnetic Fe₃O₄.     

Pore structure characteristics of the relative water-resisting layer on the top of the Ordovician in Longgu Coal Mine

In order to study the permeability and water-resisting ability of the strata on the top of the Ordovician in Longgu Coal Mine, this paper tested the permeability and porosity of the strata, investigated the fracture and pore structure features of the strata, and identified the main channels which govern the permeability and water-resisting ability of the strata. The permeability of the upper, central and lower strata shows as 2.0504 × 10⁻³–2.782762 × 10⁻³, 4.1092 × 10⁻³–7.3387 × 10⁻³ and 2.0891 × 10⁻³–3.2705 × 10⁻³ μm², respectively, and porosity of that is 0.6786–0.9197%, 0.3109–0.3951% and 0.9829–1.8655%, respectively. The results indicate that: (1) the main channels of the relative water-resisting layer are the pore throats with a diameter more than 6 μm; (2) the major proportion of pore throats in the vertical flow channel and the permeability first increases and then sharply decreases; (3) the fractures occurring from the top to 20 m in depth of the strata were filled and there occurred almost no fracture under the depth of 40 m; and (4) the ratio of turning point of the main flow channel in the strata on top of Ordovician can be used to confirm the thickness of filled water-resisting layers.     

Leaching kinetics in cyanide media of Ag contained in the industrial mining-metallurgical wastes in the state of Hidalgo,Mexico

The leaching kinetics in cyanide media of the silver contained in the Dos Carlos waste tailings at the City of Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo State, Mexico were carried out. The used material contained the following chemical composition: 56 × 10^-6 of Ag, 0.6 × 10⁻⁶ of Au and 70.43% (by weight) of SiO₂; 7.032% (by weight) of Al₂O₃; 2.69% (by weight) of Fe; 0.46% (by weight) of Mn; 3.98% (by weight) of K₂O; 3.34% (by weight) of CaO; 2.50% (by weight) of Na₂O; 0.04% (by weight) of Zn; 0.026% (by weight) of Pb. The mineralogical phases present were the following: Silica, albite, argentite, berlinite, orthoclase, potassium jarosite, and natrojarosite. In the leaching kinetics in cyanide media, and under the studied conditions, the effect of the CN⁻ concentration on the reaction rate has no effect on the whole process of alkaline cyanidation, of which the reaction order is n ≈ 0. Temperature has an effect on the cyanidation rate of the reaction, with an activation energy of 47.9 KJ/mol. At the same time, when the particle size decreases there is an increase in the reaction rate, which is inversely proportional to the particle diameter; when increasing the NaOH concentration there is an increase in the reaction rate K_exp, with a reaction order (n) of 0.215 under the studied ranges.     

Artificial neural network approach for rheological characteristics of coal-water slurry using microwave pre-treatment

Detailed experimental investigations were carried out for microwave pre-treatment of high ash Indian coal at high power level(900 W) in microwave oven. The microwave exposure times were fixed at60 s and 120 s. A rheology characteristic for microwave pre-treatment of coal-water slurry(CWS) was performed in an online Bohlin viscometer. The non-Newtonian character of the slurry follows the rheological model of Ostwald de Waele. The values of n and k vary from 0.31 to 0.64 and 0.19 to 0.81 Pa·sn,respectively. This paper presents an artificial neural network(ANN) model to predict the effects of operational parameters on apparent viscosity of CWS. A 4-2-1 topology with Levenberg-Marquardt training algorithm(trainlm) was selected as the controlled ANN. Mean squared error(MSE) of 0.002 and coefficient of multiple determinations(R~2) of 0.99 were obtained for the outperforming model. The promising values of correlation coefficient further confirm the robustness and satisfactory performance of the proposed ANN model.     

Signal characteristics of coal and rock dynamics with micro-seismic monitoring technique

In this study,differences of signal characteristics between mine shocks and coal and gas outbursts in coal mines were examined with the micro-seismic monitoring technique and time–frequency analysis.The duration of the mine shock is short while the coal and gas outburst lasts longer.The outburst consists of three stages:the pre-shock,secondary shock and main shock stage,respectively.The velocity amplitude of the mine shock is between 10~(-)5and 10~(-3)m/s,which is higher than that of the outburst with the same energy level.In addition,in both cases,the correlation between the velocity amplitude and energy is positive while the correlation between the signal frequency band distribution and energy is negative.The signal frequency band of the high energy mine shock is distributed between 0 and 50 Hz,and the low energy mine shock is between 50 and 100 Hz.The fractal characteristics of mine shocks were studied based on a fractal theory.The box dimensions of high energy mine shocks are lower than the low energy ones,however,the box dimensions of outbursts are higher than that of mine shocks with the same energy level.The higher box dimensions indicate more dangerous dynamic events.     

Preconcentration of rare earth elements from Iranian monazite ore by spiral separator using multi-response optimization method

The present work dealt with the preconcentration of rare earth elements in Saghand ore (Yazd province, Iran) which was achieved by Humphrey spiral using orthogonal optimization method after scrubbing the sample at 45% solid pulp density for 30 min. The pulp was diluted and was fed to a Humphrey spiral for upgrading. The process parameters considered were feed size, feed solids and feed rate, and Taguchi’s L₉ (3⁴) orthogonal array (OA) was selected for optimization of the process. The results show that the feed rate and feed size were more significant than the other operation parameters of the process. It was also found that under optimal conditions, the concentrate grade of rare earth elements increased from 2860 × 10⁻⁶ to 6050 × 10⁻⁶ and recovery reached to 58%.     

Identification of large-scale goaf instability in underground mine using particle swarm optimization and support vector machine

An approach which combines particle swarm optimization and support vector machine (PSO–SVM) is proposed to forecast large-scale goaf instability (LSGI). Firstly, influencing factors of goaf safety are analyzed, and following parameters were selected as evaluation indexes in the LSGI: uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of rock, elastic modulus (E) of rock, rock quality designation (RQD), area ration of pillar (S_p), the ratio of width to height of the pillar (w/h), depth of ore body (H), volume of goaf (V), dip of ore body (α) and area of goaf (S_g). Then LSGI forecasting model by PSO-SVM was established according to the influencing factors. The performance of hybrid model (PSO + SVM = PSO–SVM) has been compared with the grid search method of support vector machine (GSM–SVM) model. The actual data of 40 goafs are applied to research the forecasting ability of the proposed method, and two cases of underground mine are also validated by the proposed model. The results indicated that the heuristic algorithm of PSO can speed up the SVM parameter optimization search, and the predictive ability of the PSO–SVM model with the RBF kernel function is acceptable and robust, which might hold a high potential to become a useful tool in goaf risky prediction research.     

Numerical simulation of influence of Langmuir adsorption constant on gas drainage radius of drilling in coal seam

To determine reasonable distance of gas pre-drainage drillings in coal seams, a solid–gas coupling model that takes gas adsorption effect into account was constructed. In view of different adsorption constants,the paper conducted the numerical simulation of pre-drainage gas in drillings along coal seam, studied the relationship of adsorption constants and permeability, gas pressure, and effective drainage radius of coal seams, and applied the approach to the layout of pre-drainage gas drillings in coal seams. The results show that the permeability of coal seams is on the gradual increase with time, which is divided into three sections according to the increase rate: the drainage time 0–30 d is the sharp increase section;30–220 d is the gradual increase section; and the time above 200 d is the stable section. The permeability of coal seams is in negative linear and positive exponent relation with volume adsorption constant VLand pressure adsorption constant PL, respectively. The effective drainage radius is in negative linear relation with VLand in positive exponent relation with PL. Compared with the former design scheme, the engineering quantity of drilling could be reduced by 25%.     

Reservoir characteristics of Donghe well No.1 in Tarim Basin

Based on the techniques of X-ray diffraction analysis, identification of the thin sections of core cast, physical analysis and scanning electron microscopy analysis, this paper studied the reservoir characteristics of the Carboniferous strata in Donghe well No.1 of Tarim region. The results show that the reservoir lithology is mainly the fine-grained quartz sandstone with ferrocalcite and pyrite, mud cement-based, the permeability concentrated in 5–40 × 10–3 μm², a small part of the high permeability up to 150–327 × 10⁻³ μm² and porosity ranged from 10% to 20%. The most part of the reservoirs is low permeability with a small part of the layer in moderate-high permeability. The types of reservoir space include intergranular pores, intra particle-molding pores, micro-pores and cracks, which mainly are intergranular pores with the pore diameter of 15–200 μm, 95.5 μm on average. And the types of the throats are complex with the main type of constricted throats in this area and large contribution to the permeability.     

Long-term economic sensitivity analysis of light duty underground mining vehicles by power source

LHD's are expensive vehicles; therefore, it is important to accurately define the financial consequences associated with the investment of purchasing the mining equipment. This study concentrates on longterm incremental and sensitivity analysis to determine whether it is feasible to incorporate current battery technology into these machines. When revenue was taken into account, decreasing the amount of haulage in battery operated equipment by 5% or 200 kg per h amounts to a $4.0 × 10~4 loss of profit per year. On average it was found that using battery operated equipment generated $9.5 × 10~4 more in income annually, reducing the payback period from seven to two years to pay back the additional $1.0 × 10~5 investment of buying battery powered equipment over cheaper diesel equipment. Due to the estimated 5% increase in capital, it was observed that electric vehicles must possess a lifetime that is a minimum of one year longer than that of diesel equipment.     

Greenhouse gas emissions from shallow uncovered coal seams

This study discusses a method of quantifying emissions from surface coal mining that has been trialled in Australia. The method is based on direct measurement of surface emissions from uncovered coal seams in mine pits, concurrent measurement of residual gas content of blasted coal in mine pits, and measurement of pre-mining gas content of the same seam from cores retrieved from exploration boreholes drilled away from active mining. The results from one of the mines studied are presented in this paper. In this mine, the pre-mining gas content of the target seam was measured using cores from an exploration borehole away from active mining. Gas content varied from 0.7 to 0.8 m³/t and gas composition varied from 16% to 21% CH₄ (84–79% CO₂). In-pit measurements included seam surface emissions and residual gas content of blasted and ripped coal. Residual gas content varied from 0.09 to 0.15 m³/t, less than twofold across the mine pit. Composition of the residual gas was in general 90% CO₂ and 10% CH₄, with slight variation between samples. Coal seam surface emissions varied from 1.03 to 7.50 mL of CO₂-e per minute and per square meter of the coal seam surface, a sevenfold variation across the mine pit.     

New composite grouting materials: Modified urea–formaldehyde resin with cement

A new composite two component grout comprised of modified urea–formaldehyde resin and cement was formulated to take account of the advantages and disadvantages of both the cement grout and the chemical grout. The new grout is designed for water blocking by reinforcing as well as seepage control by bore grouting. The A component consists of a modified urea–formaldehyde resin A component, some cement, and some water. The B component is an alkaline coagulant. An orthogonal test of four factors at three levels showed that gel time increased with increased water content and with urea–formaldehyde resin content. Gel time decreased at increased levels of alkaline coagulant. The A component of this new composite grout is stable over time. A mixed cross-over test showed that as the volume ratio of A to B increases the gel time falls at first but then increases. The solid strength decreases with increasing levels of the B component. The solid strength increases over time and becomes stable by the 28th day after mixing. The viscosity increases with increasing levels of resin A component. The increase is exponential and may be fit to: μ = 8.162e^0.0286x.     

Fractal dimension of coal particles and their CH4 adsorption

We describe the fractal analysis of three differently sized coal samples (0.350–0.833 mm, 0.245–0.350 mm, and 0.198–0.245 mm). The influence of fractal dimension on CH₄ adsorption capacity is investigated. The physical parameters of the samples were determined via the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) theory. A CH₄ adsorption study over the pressures range from 0 to 5 MPa was carried out with a new volumetric measurement system. The CH₄ adsorption was measured using the differently sized coal. Two fractal dimensions, D₁ and D₂ were determined over the pressure ranges from 0 to 0.5 MPa and from 0.5 to 1 MPa, using the Frenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) method. We conclude that the two fractal dimensions correlate with the CH₄ adsorption capacity of the coal: increasing CH₄ adsorption capacity occurs with a corresponding increase in fractal dimension. Furthermore, D₁ and D₂ are positively correlated with surface area, pore volume, and samples size. The size distribution of the samples has fractal characteristics.     

Non-Darcy flow seepage characteristics of saturated broken rocks under compression with lateral constraint

sing an MTS816.03 test system and self-designed seepage apparatus,seepage tests of saturated broken rocks were conducted,and the influence of lithology,axial stress,grain size distribution and loading rate on seepage characteristics was analyzed.The results show that:(1) Under the same axial stress(12 MPa)the permeability of different lithologic samples increases in the order:gangue mudstone sand stone limestone.The permeability of gangue is 3 magnitudes lower than that of limestone.The absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β increases in the order:limestone sandstone mudstone gangue The non-Darcy coefficient β of limestone,which is positive,is 5 magnitudes lower than that of gangue.(2)With increasing axial stress,the permeability of saturated broken sandstone decreases,and the absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β increases.After the axial stress exceeds 12 MPa,the curves of perme ability and non-Darcy coefficient β all tend to be stable.(3) With increasing Talbol power exponent,the permeability increases,and the absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β decreases.(4) With increas ing loading,the permeability increases,and the absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β decreases When the loading rate is 0.5 kN/s,the non-Darcy coefficient β is positive.     

Discontinuities effect on drilling condition and performance of selected rocks in Nigeria

The study examined joint discontinuity spacing effect on drilling condition and performance in selected rocks in Ilorin and Ibese areas, Nigeria. Five samples for each rock type (gneiss and limestone) were tested in the laboratory for chemical, physical and mechanical properties. Dip direction and joint spacing were measured using compass clinometers. The chemical composition was determined using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. The results show that gneiss has SiO₂ of 61.88% and limestone has CaO content of 52.3%. The average dry density of gneiss and limestone are 2.6 and 2.39 g/cm³, respectively. The uniaxial compressive strength of gneiss and limestone are 195 and 93.83 MPa, respectively. These rocks are classified as strong and moderately strong rock. Gneiss and limestone have mean joint discontinuity spacing of 0.79 and 0.25 m, which classified them as moderate and wide joint spacing respectively. Joint spacing was correlated with specific energy, bit wear and uniaxial compressive using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The regression model has multiple coefficient of correlation of R² = 0.791 and R² = 0.995 for gneiss and limestone, respectively. The variation in joint spacing could be attributed to specific energy, bit wear and uniaxial compressive strength which affect drilling condition and performance. Ultimately, as joint spacing gets closer, the drilling velocity increases, drill string will be stable.     

Removal and utilization of calcite existed in scheelite by preparation of calcium sulfate whiskers

In order to eliminate the effect of calcite associated with scheelite on the scheelite flotation, hydrochloric acid was used to dissolve the calcite, and the soaking solution was used to prepare CaSO_4 whiskers by hydrothermal reaction with sulfuric acid at ambient pressure. First, the condition experiments of preparing CaSO_4 whiskers by using CaCl_2 and H_2SO_4 were carried out to optimize reaction parameters of the crystallization process. The optimal conditions were: at 102 ℃ reaction temperature, 0,5 mol/L reactant concentration and 60 min reaction time. Then based on the condition experiments and considering keeping acid concentration stable for achieving HCl recycling, Calcium sulfate whiskers with the average diameter of 1.41 μm and the average aspect ratio of 109 were prepared by the soaking solution after evaporating to half of its volume and 1.0 mol/L H_2SO_4 at 102 ℃ for 60 min: After ion exchange processing,the filtrate could be used as HCl in the process of HCl dissolution.