An investigation into the effect of infrastructure on fly-in fly-out mining workers

Objective: To explore fly-in fly-out (FIFO) mining workers' attitudes towards the leisure time they spend in mining camps, the recreational and social aspects of mining camp culture, the camps' communal and recreational infrastructure and activities, and implications for health. Design: In-depth semistructured interviews. Setting: Individual interviews at locations convenient for each participant. Participants: A total of seven participants, one female and six males. The age group varied within 20–59 years. Marital status varied across participants. Main outcome measures: A qualitative approach was used to interview participants, with responses thematically analysed. Findings highlight how the recreational infrastructure and activities at mining camps impact participants' enjoyment of the camps and their feelings of community and social inclusion. Results: Three main areas of need were identified in the interviews, as follows: (i) on-site facilities and activities; (ii) the role of infrastructure in facilitating a sense of community; and (iii) barriers to social interaction. Conclusion: Recreational infrastructure and activities enhance the experience of FIFO workers at mining camps. The availability of quality recreational facilities helps promote social interaction, provides for greater social inclusion and improves the experience of mining camps for their temporary FIFO residents. The infrastructure also needs to allow for privacy and individual recreational activities, which participants identified as important emotional needs. Developing appropriate recreational infrastructure at mining camps would enhance social interactions among FIFO workers, improve their well-being and foster a sense of community. Introducing infrastructure to promote social and recreational activities could also reduce alcohol-related social exclusion.

New graph-based algorithms to efficiently solve large scale open pit mining optimisation problems

In the mining optimisation literature, most researchers focused on two strategic-level and tactical-level open-pit mine optimisation problems, which are respectively termed ultimate pit limit (UPIT) or constrained pit limit (CPIT). However, many researchers indicate that the substantial numbers of variables and constraints in real-world instances (e.g., with 50-1000 thousand blocks) make the CPIT’s mixed integer programming (MIP) model intractable for use. Thus, it becomes a considerable challenge to solve the large scale CPIT instances without relying on exact MIP optimiser as well as the complicated MIP relaxation/decomposition methods. To take this challenge, two new graph-based algorithms based on network flow graph and conjunctive graph theory are developed by taking advantage of problem properties. The performance of our proposed algorithms is validated by testing recent large scale benchmark UPIT and CPIT instances’ datasets of MineLib in 2013. In comparison to best known results from MineLib, it is shown that the proposed algorithms outperform other CPIT solution approaches existing in the literature. The proposed graph-based algorithms leads to a more competent mine scheduling optimisation expert system because the third-party MIP optimiser is no longer indispensable and random neighbourhood search is not necessary.

Selecting an electrical power source at the scoping level for a mining project

The electrical power source is a critical component of the scoping level study as the source affects both the project economics and timeline. This paper proposes a systematic approach to selecting an electrical power source for a new mine. Orvana Minerals Copperwood project is used as a case study. The Copperwood results show that the proposed scoping level approach is consistent with the subsequent much more detailed feasibility study.

Groundwater Under the Butte Hill - The East Camp Mining System and the Berkeley Pit

This lecture discusses monitoring activities of the Berkeley Pit for the past 31 years at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology in Butte, Montana.

Factors influencing metal price selection in mining feasibility studies

The mineral price assigned in mining project design is critical to determining the economic feasibility of a project. Nevertheless, although it is not difficult to find literature about market metal prices, it is much more complicated to achieve a specific methodology for calculating the value or which justifications are appropriate to include. This study presents an analysis of various methods for selecting metal prices and investigates the mechanisms and motives underlying price selections. The results describe various attitudes adopted by the designers of mining investment projects, and how the price can be determined not just by means of forecasting but also by consideration of other relevant parameters.

Mining methods and practice in the Michigan copper mines /

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Assessment of environmental impact of the mineral mining industry /

Mode of access: Internet.

Computer applications in underground mining systems : final report : prepared for Office of Coal Research, Dept. of Interior ... /

"Period of performance: September, l968- December, 1973."

Structural survey of private mining operations.

Project Sedan.

Cooperative mining series. Bulletin [1]-33.

No. 33 is the final no. of this series.

From the ground up : the history of mining in Utah /

Includes bibliographical references (p. 456-482) and index.

A dictionary of Spanish and Spanish-American mining, metallurgical and allied terms, to whichs some Porutguese and Portuguese-American (Brazilian) terms are added,

"List of principal works consulted": p. vii-[ix]

Transactions of the International Engineering Congress, 1915 ...

[v. 1] The Panama canal. 2 v.--[v. 2] Waterways and irrigation.--[v. 3] Municipal engineering.--[v. 4] Railway engineering.--[v. 5] Materials of engineering construction.--[v. 6] Mechanical engineering.--[v. 7] Electrical engineering and hydroelectric power development.--[v. 8] Mining engineering.--[v. 9] Metallurgy.--[v. 10] Naval architecture and marine engineering.--[v. 11] Miscellany.--[v. 12] Index volume.

Transactions of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy.

Section titles vary slightly.

The Mining magazine.

Description based on: Vol. 38, no. 1 (Jan. 1928); title from caption.