Mining Engineering back issues from September 2009:
THE DRIFT OF THINGS
Sep 01, 2009; ... * Some signs of improvement in the mining industry * Underground construction has withstood the downturn Without getting too worked up, there are signs that things in the global mining industry are beginning lo improve, or are at least beginning to stabilize. Prices for ...
Benefits of carbon capture technologies are highlighted in new report
Sep 01, 2009; ... The National Research Council recently published a report titled "America's Energy Future: Technology and Transformation," in which it highlights the role carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies can play in meeting the energy needs of the nation. The report states that by 2035, ...
Two-year ban on mining near Grand Canyon imposed
Sep 01, 2009; ... A two-year ban on hardrock mining on approximately 405,000 hm^sup 2^ (1 million acres) of federal land near the Grand Canyon National Park has been put in place. U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the ban took effect upon publication of a Federal Register notice ...
If there is no American mining expertise, which foreign country will we allow to run our mines?
Sep 01, 2009; ... I recently read several articles in publications by the Geological Society of America (GSA) and The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) that highlighted some significant differences in how the American and Canadian governments view their minerals industry. These articles ...
Tubas, teens and tiny rooms ... tales from the road
Sep 01, 2009; ... We all have hotel stories. In fact, I would wager that hotel stories come in second only to airplane stories for their high adventure. I have a hotel story for you. Several weeks ago. I was staying in New York City at a well-known hotel. A place that charges more for one night than I pay ...
Court refuses to overturn Bush-era mountaintop removal mining rule
Sep 01, 2009; ... A Bush administration ruling that allows mine waste from mountaintop removal mining operations to be dumped near streams will stand, following a ruling from a U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The court refused the Obama administration's attempt to overturn the ruling, ...
Idaho phosphate mine wins expansion approval
Sep 01, 2009; ... EXPANSIONS J.R. Simplol Co. was granted approval to expand its Smoky Canyon phosphate mine into a roadless area near Yellowstone National Park by a U.S. District judge in Boise, ID. In his decision. U.S. District Judge Mikel Williams said the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of ...
Olympic Dam expansion study to be available by mid-2010
Sep 01, 2009; ... Studies concerning the expansion of BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam copper-uranium-gold mine in northern South Australia should be available to the BHP board by mid-2010. Deane Dalla Valle, head of the company's uranium division, told reporters at a Uranium Conference in Fremantle ....
Plans to reopen Climax Mine remain on hold
Sep 01, 2009; ... COPPER Despite an increase in the price of molybdenum, the re-opening of Freeport-McMoRan's Climax Mine in Leadville, CO will remain on hold. Freeport-McMoRan announced plans to bring the mine back into production two years ago. However, those plans were shelved when the price of ...
Despite lagging profits, Grupo Mexico remains positive about copper
Sep 01, 2009; ... LATIN AMERICA Although profits continued to fall during the second quarter. Grupo Mexico said thai copper's positive trend is leading to an improved outlook for the company. "The continued restocking of China, and also a significant increase in investment capital into the ...
Production down, costs are up at Antofagasta
Sep 01, 2009; ... Chilean copper miner Antofagasta PIc posted a 6.6-percent fall in first-half copper output in July, slightly better than its own expectations, and said costs remained sharply higher than last year. The London-listed firm said copper production for the six months to end June decreased to 218.2 kt ...
Teck announces full production at Trail zinc operations
Sep 01, 2009; ... ZINC Teck Resources' Trail Opera- tions in British Columbia will return to full refined zinc production of 25 kt/month (27,500 st/month). The plant had been oper- ating at about 20 kt/month (22,000 st/month) since December 2008. The company announced that the increase in production would ...
Flooding at Rusal power plant could cost company 500 kt (551,000 st) of aluminum
Sep 01, 2009; ... ALUMINUM A flooding at Rusal's SayanoShushenskaya power station that left at least 12 people dead and as many as 64 missing might also cost UC Rusai 500 kt (551,000 si) of aluminum production. That is the equivalent of 11 percent of last year's total output. A turbine room was ...
Chevron Mining donates land for Navajo Code Talkers museum
Sep 01, 2009; ... LAND DONATION A future home of a museum honoring the Navajo Code Talkers and a veterans' center will be on 84-hm^sup 3^ (208 acres) of land in Window Rock, AZ that is being donated by Chevron Mining. The 84 hm^sup 2^ (208-acre) parcel of land is associated with Chevron's McKinley ...
Tensions mount with arrest of four Rio Tinto employees
Sep 01, 2009; ... CHINA Tensions between China and mining giant Rio Tinto continued to mount in August when China formally arrested four executives of Rio Tinto Ltd. on suspicion of stealing commercial secrets on Aug. 12. Those arrests followed the July 5 arrest of Rio Tinto general manager Sten Hu on ...
China's Yanzhou Coal Mining acquires Australia's Felix Resources for $3.5 billion
Sep 01, 2009; ... In the largest Australian acquisition by China, Yanzhou Coal Mining Co., China's fourth-biggest coal producer, agreed to buy Australia's Felix Resources Ltd. for about A$3.5 billion to secure supplies. Yanzhou will pay A$18/share for Felix, including a dividend and stock in a unit, ...
Energy Fuels announces additional DOE lease acquisitions
Sep 01, 2009; ... URANIUM The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded Energy Fuels Inc. two additional DOE lease tracts that were released for bid in the May 2008 DOE lease sale. The tracts are in the Uravan Mineral Belt, about 48 km (30 miles) from Energy Fuels' Piñon Ridge Mill in Montrose ...
28th International Conference on Ground Control in Mining a success
Sep 01, 2009; ... GROUND CONTROL The 28th International ConTference on Ground Control in Mining was held in Morgantown, WV, July 28 to 30, 2009. The conference gathered 275 mining professionals and ground control specialists from eight coal producing states and 12 countries from as far away as Indonesia ....
FLSmidth wins alumina project in India
Sep 01, 2009; ... ALUMINA FLSmidth has received an order worth approximately 100 million Danish kroner from Anrak Aluminium Ltd., India for a gas suspension calcination system. The equipment is for Anrak's 1.5 Mt/a (1.65 million stpy) alumina refinery project located 65 km (40 miles) from the city of ...
LATIN MINING: Goldcorp's new Peñasquito mill
Sep 01, 2009; ... The Peñasquito deposit in Mexico is one of the largest grassroots precious metal discoveries to be developed in recent years. Goldcorp Inc. acquired the gold-silver-lead-zinc property with the acquisition of Glamis in 2006. The company has since committed US$1 .5 billion to construct the ...
Economic trends in the U.S. coal industry
Sep 01, 2009; ... "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Although written 150 years ago by Charles Dickens about events that had occurred 70 years prior to that, the line has uncanny resonance today. Starting in mid-2007 and culminating in mid-2008, coal prices began a surge not seen in ...
New MSHA data tracks mining employment boost
Sep 01, 2009; ... Drespite the loss of an estimated 5.1 million jobs in America since the start of 2008. it seems the mining industry has been able to buck the trend and add jobs in the worst employment market since 1945. New data recently released by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ...
Important issues addressed at Longwall USA 2009 show
Sep 01, 2009; ... From the politics of coal mining to the business of mining coal 2.541 industry professionals converged at the David A. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. PA for the bi-annual Longwall USA Conference, June 16-18. With five technical sessions and a robust exhibit floor of more than ...
Barite - a look at 2008 activity
Sep 01, 2009; ... Editor's note: In the June issue of Mining Engineering's Industrial Minerals Review (ME. June 2009). the authors of the barite section were misidentified.The correct authors are Brian O'Connell and Timothy L. Hall, of Haliburton Energy Services. Brian O'Connell and Timothy L. Hall, ...
LKAB replaces kiln shell with help from Metso
Sep 01, 2009; ... The iron ore pelletizing plant at Svappavaara, in the remote Kiruna region in the northernmost part of Sweden, is owned and operated by LKAB. The company is an international high-tech minerals group, one of the world's leading producers of upgraded iron ore products for the steel industry and a ...
Caterpillar moves forward with F series mining trucks
Sep 01, 2009; ... The largest investment in mining equipment in Caterpillar's history - The F series mechanical and electrical drive trucks - is rapidly advancing. Caterpillar showcased the 793F and 797F mechanical drive trucks and the 795F ac electric drive truck at MinExpo in 2008 and have continued ...
Sixth spreader upgraded with laser scanner- and GPS-technology in Hambach surface mine
Sep 01, 2009; ... Abstract In August 2008, the last of six spreaders in the large Hambach opencast mine operated by RWE-Power near Cologne, Germany, was upgraded with scanner- and GPS-technology. This marked an important step in the SATAS (German for: satellite assisted spreader operation) project. During ...
How does limestone rock dust prevent coal dust explosions in coal mines?
Sep 01, 2009; ... Abstract Coal dust explosions in underground coal mines are prevented by a generous application of rock dust (usually limestone). If an explosion should occur, the rock dust disperses, mixes with the coal dust and prevents flame propagation by acting as a thermal inhibitor or heat ...
SME Foundation welcomes new officers
Sep 01, 2009; ... SME FOUNDATIONS After many years of dedicated service and leadership. John Murphy and Drew Meyer have stepped down as the president and vice president of the SME Foun- dation. I am pleased to announce that the SME Foundation Board of Trustees has two new officers, K. Marc Le Vier, ...
PERSONAL NEWS
Sep 01, 2009; ... The Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute has announced the win- ners of its 2009 scholarship pro- gram. A resident from each of the Rocky Mountain states studying at an acceptable school is chosen in his or her junior year. The schol- arship recipients are: WILLIAM WERNER (SME). University of ...
Lobby or lose: Take a seat at the table or become lunch
Sep 01, 2009; ... LOCAL SECTION NEWS SME's Pittsburgh Section cohosted the Longwall USA awards luncheon on June 17, 2009. The luncheon was held in conjunction with the 2009 Longwall USA conference held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. PA. The event attracted more than 100 mining ...
The Peng Ground Control in Mining scholarship issues a call for applications
Sep 01, 2009; ... The primary objective of the new Syd S. Peng scholarship is to promote the science of ground control. Recent trends in mining engineering education indicate a possible future shortage of competent ground control engineers. To remedy this situation, a $5.000 undergraduate or graduate ...
SME seeks nominations for Distinguished Members
Sep 01, 2009; ... DISTINGUISH MEMBERS The SME Distinguished Member award was initiated in 1975. It honors those members who achieve distinction worthy of special recognition by SME. No more than four Distinguished Members may be elected each year, excluding the automatic election of the SME past ...
Sweden hosts the 8th ICARD
Sep 01, 2009; ... ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION NEWS Three years ago. the 7th International Conference on Acid Rock Drainage (ICARD) was hosted by SME at its annual meeting in St. Louis. MO. Now Sweden, the successful bidder for the 8th ICARD. has hosted an exceptional meeting for the international acid rock ...
Coal & Energy Division
Sep 01, 2009; ... SME DIVISION SCHOLARSHIPS Tyler J. Adler Tyler J. Adler graduated from the Mining Engineering and Management program at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T). Adler worked in the coal industry for four summers with Rio Tinto at the Cordero Rojo, Antelope ...
Environmental Division
Sep 01, 2009; ... Peter Zion Klos The Environmental Division awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Peter Zion Klos at the 2009 SME Annual Meeting. Klos graduated from the Colorado College in May 2009 with a degree in geology. He will pursue graduate studies in hydrogeology, mine hydrology or environmental mine ...
Industrial Minerals Division
Sep 01, 2009; ... Michael C. Cheshire Michael C. Cheshire received the $2.500 Gerald V. Henderson Memorial Scholarship from the Industrial Minerals Division at the 2009 SME Annual Meeting. Cheshire is a graduate student at Indiana University working toward a Ph.D. in the Department of Geological Sciences ....
Mining & Exploration Division
Sep 01, 2009; ... SME DIVISION SCHOLARSHIPS Everett S. Brill Everett S. Brill received a $1,500 M&E Division scholarship at the division's luncheon at the 2009 SME Annual Meeting. Brill is a sophomore at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T) in the Mining Engineering ...
Mineral & Metallurgical Processing Division
Sep 01, 2009; ... Sarah A. Smith Sarah A. Smith, a senior at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, received a $2.000 MPD scholarship, presented at Virginia Tech by Greg Adel, interim head of the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering. Smith recently spent two semesters as ...
COMING EVENTS/SHORT COURSES
Sep 01, 2009; ... * Denotes new listing. September 2009 12-16, SME Review Course for Professional Engineering (PE) Examination of Mining/Mineral Engineers, Marriott St. Louis Airport Hotel. 10700 Pear Tree Ln., St. Louis, MO 63134. Contact: Meetings Department, SME. 8307 Shaffer Pkwy. Littleton ....
NEW PRODUCTS
Sep 01, 2009; ... Secoroc TC35 - an innovation in bench drilling The Secoroc TC35 is based on the same technology as the Atlas Copeo Secoroc Magnum SR un- derground drilling system. And it offers the same advantages to bench drillers - straighter holes, longer rod service life, quicker bit changes plus ...
Gold - History, Metallurgy, Culture
Sep 01, 2009; ... Gold - History, Metallurgy, Culture 2009, by Fathi Habashi, published by Métallurgie Extractive Québec, distributed by Laval University Bookstore Zone Pavilion Maurice-Pollack, Cité Universitaire, Québec City, PQ Canada GlV 0B4, phone 418-656-2600, fax 418-6562665, e-mail ...
Energy Technology Perspectives
Sep 01, 2009; ... Energy Technology Perspectives 2009, edited by Cynthia Belt, Neale R. Neelameggham, Raniana Reddy and Edgar Vidal, published by the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, 184 Thorn Hill Rd., Warrendale, PA 15086, phone 724-776-9000, fax 24-776-3770, e-mail webmaster@tms.org, Web site ...
World Mineral Production 2003-2007
Sep 01, 2009; ... World Mineral Production 2003-2007 2009, published by the British Geological Survey, Kingsley Durham Center, Keyworth, Nottingham, UK, phone 44-0-115-9363100, fax 44-0-115-9363200, e-mail tbrown@bgs.ac.uk, Web site www.bgs.ac.uk, ISBN 978-0-85272-638-9, pp. 109, £30. The British ...
Tunnel industry is still strong
Sep 01, 2009; ... CHAIRMAN'S COLUMN On June 17, 2009, I had the honor of being handed the gavel for a two-year term as Chairman of the UCA of SME. I am looking forward to the challenges associated with the position. The tunnel industry is currently very strong compared with other segments of the ...
Tunnel under San Francisco Bay to begin construction in 2010
Sep 01, 2009; ... With ominous warnings that a major earthquake will hit the San Francisco Bay area in the next 30 years, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (PUC) plans to act. Bids for a 3.2-km- (5-mile-) long tunnel under the bay were advertised on July 31. The tunnel is expected to ...
California water officials study building delta tunnel
Sep 01, 2009; ... State engineers in California are studying a proposal to send water supplies to southern California through a tunnel under the Sacramento - San Joaquin Delta, rather than through a peripheral canal, the Associated Press reported. The Department of Water Resources is considering the ...
UtahAmerican tunneling up to coal seam
Sep 01, 2009; ... UtahAmerican Energy Inc.. a subsidiary of Ohio-based Murray Energy Corp., is taking a unique approach to get at coal seams in a Utah mountain range - the company is tunneling up to the coal. From the base of a 305-m (1,000-ft) cliff face, UtahAmerican Energy is constructing three ...
Brightwater to open on schedule without finished tunnel
Sep 01, 2009; ... Work on the Brightwater sewage plant in King County, WA was halted when mechanical problems stalled both tunnel boring machines (TBM). However, project manager Gunars Sreibers said the plant will be put into operation in 2011, as scheduled. The 21 -km (13-mile) tunnel that was being ...
Black & Veatch to design McCook Reservoir tunnel
Sep 01, 2009; ... The engineering and design firm of Black & Veatch has been chosen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as the design engineer for the McCook Reservoir main tunnel. The new 550-m (1,800-ft) long bifurcated tunnel system will connect the future McCook Reservoir to Chicago's Deep Tunnel ...
Drilling on Los Angeles' subway to the sea completed
Sep 01, 2009; ... Los Angeles, CA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said crews are nearly finished drilling 70 holes across the city's west side. This is the first step in building the long-awaited subway to the sea. Villaraigosa said that crews had to dig up to 24 m (80 ft) into the ground to assess soil ...
Contract awarded to complete tunnels on Vancouver's Seymour-Capilano project
Sep 01, 2009; ... The Seymour-Capilano filtration project in Vancouver. British Columbia got back on track when Metro Vancouver awarded a contract to the Seymour-Cap Partnership to complete the twin tunnels component of the Seymour-Capilano filtration project. The Seymour-Cap Partnership includes the ...
Five Lovat machines begin work on tunnels for 2014 Olympic Games
Sep 01, 2009; ... A total of five Lovat tunnel boring machines (TBM) will be used to mine three service tunnels and two railway tunnels in preparation for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Sochi. Russia. The machines are owned and operated by the largest Russian tunneling contractor. OAO ...
Land use application for ARC tunnel approved by New York City
Sep 01, 2009; ... Work on the $8.7-million Access to the Region's Core (ARC) Mass Transit Tunnel has been cleared to begin in Manhattan. NY later this year following the approval of the project's land use plan by the New York City Council on July 29. Council members voted unanimously 47-0 to approve the ...
Single track considered in Maryland
Sep 01, 2009; ... A single-track tunnel under Cooks Lane is being considered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) for the Red Line. The proposal would require east- and westbound light rail trains to share one track through a 1.6-km- (1-mile-) long tunnel. The plan might save $60 million but could pose ...
Second phase of New Delhi Metro Line completed
Sep 01, 2009; ... Construction of the second phase of operations on the largest tunnel in any urban city in India, the 2.85-km (1.7-mile) Airport Express Rail tunnel under New Delhi, was completed by Delhi Metro Rail Corp. (DMRC) on Aug. 19. The New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) was used in order to ...
Overland Park chooses tunneling option to save trees
Sep 01, 2009; ... Officials of the Johnson County (KS) Wastewater District agreed to underground tunneling methods to save thousands of trees in the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. The sewer line will run through a heavily forested area of the arboretum and the tunneling method will cost ...
UCA calls for award nominations
Sep 01, 2009; ... The Underground Construction Association (UCA), a division of SME. will present the UCA awards at the 2010 North American Tunneling Conference (NAT) in Portland, OR. The awards to be presented are: Outstanding Individual. Project of the Year. Outstanding Educator and the Lifetime Achievement ...
Caterpillar with tunnel boom boosts productivity on Swiss project
Sep 01, 2009; ... A dedicated tunnel construction version of the Caterpillar 328D LCR compact radius excavator is proving highly productive on the A9 Autoroute construction project near Visp.in Switzerland. It is the first machine of its kind to operate on a Swiss contract and uses a special dedicated front ...
Robbins TBM completes tunnel section in Australia
Sep 01, 2009; ... Heavy seasonal rains in Melbourne. Australia can create the potential for hazardous wastewater overflows. Protecting the area's valuable streams and rivers is the top priority of the city's five-year Northern Sewerage Project (NSP). Split into two stages, the NSP involves the construction of ...
Port of Miami tunnel tender design and update
Sep 01, 2009; ... The Florida Department of Transportation District 6 (FDOT D6) began a study in 1987 for a master plan to improve the traffic circulation and congestions between the Port of Miami (POM) and downtown Miami, FL. This study included a tunnel connection between two man-made islands, the Watson and ...
Onsite assembly and hard rock tunneling at the Jinping-II hydropower station tunnel project
Sep 01, 2009; ... The Jinping-II hydroelectric project in China features four parallel headrace tunnels approximately 18km- (11-mile-) long. Two will be excavated by tunnel boring machines (TBM) and two by drill-and-blast. A nearby fifth tunnel is being excavated by a 7.2-m (23.6-ft) TBM to draw down ground water ...
More than 1,300 attend RETC in Las Vegas
Sep 01, 2009; ... FEATURE ARTICLE The global recession of the past two years has sent many industries into a tailspin. with the natural retrenchments by industry and the accompanying job losses. The underground space and tunneling industry has taken its hits. too. but not as bad as others, such as ...
UCA seeks nominations for the 2010 Executive Committee
Sep 01, 2009; ... CALL FOR NOMINATIONS The Underground Construction Association (UCA) Division seeks recommendations and nominations from UCA members for interested individuals to serve on the 2Ol 0 UCA Executive Committee. The UCA bylaws allow a 19-person Executive Committee. The members of the executive ...
UCA Division installs new officers and committee members
Sep 01, 2009; ... EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE David Klug was installed as the 2009 chair of the Ex- ecutive Committee of the Underground Construction Asso- ciation (UCA) of SME during the committee's meeting at the Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Confer- ence (RETC) in June 2009. He will serve a two-year term ....