Abstract: A sulfate process for producing titania from a titaniferous material (as herein defined) including a step of leaching said titaniferous material with a leachant to form a process solution that includes an acidic solution of titanyl sulfate and iron sulfate, wherein said sulfate process further includes a filtration step comprising filtering said leachant to at least substantially remove titanyl sulfate particles from said leachant prior to supplying said leachant to said leach step.

Abstract: A method of smelting a nickel intermediate product in a smelter that contains a molten bath of metal and slag to produce a nickel product, the method comprising supplying the nickel intermediate product and a solid reductant to the smelter and smelting the nickel intermediate product to produce molten nickel, and controlling the chemistry of the slag so that the slag has (a) a high solubility for elements and compounds in the nickel intermediate product that are regarded as contaminants in the nickel product and (b) a liquidus temperature in the range of 1300-1700 C.

Abstract: A collector bar for electrical connection to a busbar system of an electrolytic cell, the collector bar being received within a recess in a cathode block of the cathode of the electrolytic cell; wherein the collector bar comprises a first conductor which electrically connects to the busbar system, the first conductor having an external surface or surfaces which electrically contact the cathode block and at least one second conductor having a lower electrical resistance to the first conductor, the second conductor being positioned on at least one external surface of the first conductor in electrical contact with the first conductor.

Abstract: A sulfate process for producing titania from a titaniferous material (such as an iron-containing titaniferous material; such as ilmenite) is disclosed. The process includes precipitating titanyl sulfate from a process solution produced in the process. The titanyl sulfate precipitation step includes subjecting the precipitated titanyl sulfate to a shearing action during the course of precipitating titanyl sulfate from the process solution or after precipitation has been completed.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program for pit mining with waste dumping is disclosed, in which material is extracted from an open pit and some of that material is sent to waste. The method optimises a joint extraction and waste refill schedule.

Abstract: The scheduling of extraction of a resource within a mine is disclosed which comprises obtaining drill hole grade data relating to the resource and creating a plurality of different block models, with each block in each model having a resource grade and each of the block models honoring the drill hole grade data. An extraction schedule is determined based on a cut-off grade policy to increase expected net present value of the mine. The cut-off grade policy can be a variable cut-off grade and the scheduling using the variable cut-off grade is converted from a non-linear representation to a linear representation and a mixed integer programming formulation is used for simultaneous optimization of the extraction schedule and the cut-off grade.

Abstract: A sulfate process for producing titania from a titaniferous material (such as an iron-containing titaniferous material such as ilmenite) is disclosed. The process includes digestion and/or leach steps that form a process solution that includes an acidic solution of titanyl sulfate (TiOSO4) and iron sulfate (FeSO4) from the solid titaniferous material. The process also includes hydrolysis and other steps that form titania from the titanyl sulfate in the process solution. The process is characterised by a ferric ion treatment step of treating the process solution and lowering the concentration of ferric ions from the process solution.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of extracting resource(s) from a particular location. In particular, the present invention relates to the planning, design and processing related to a mine location in a manner based on enhancing the extraction of material considered of value, relative to the effort and/or time in extracting that material. The present application discloses, amongst other things, a method of and apparatus for determining slope constraints, determining a cluster of material, determining characteristics of a selected portion of material, analysing a selected volume of material, propagating clusters, forming clusters, mine design, aggregation of blocks into collections or clusters, splitting of waste and ore in clumps, determining a selected group of blocks to be mined, clump ordering and identifying clusters for pushback design.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of extracting resource(s) from a particular location. In particular, the present invention relates to the planning, design and processing related to a mine location in a manner based on enhancing the extraction of material considered of value, relative to the effort and/or time in extracting that material. The present application discloses, amongst other things, a method of and apparatus for determining the removal of material(s) from a location, determining the removal of material(s) of a differing relative value from a location, determining a schedule corresponding to a risk and/or return basis, determining aggregated block ordering for the extraction of material from a location, determining a schedule for extraction of dumps and determining a mine design.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program for modelling an optimal mine plan is disclosed. The life of mine is divided into a plurality of increasing lengths of time (FIGS. 2 and 3) and performing optimisation steps, with each step being performed once for a predetermined time period for the remaining life of mine. Material may be stockpiled or may be sent direct to product or to waste without any stockpiling. A decision (block 10 in FIG. 1) is made as to which material is sent to product in each time period for the remaining life of mine. In each predetermined time period, material with a grade greater than a marginal grade that is not sent to produce is sent to stockpile and all material less than a marginal grade is sent to waste (14).

Abstract: A collector bar for electrical connection to a busbar system of an electrolytic cell, the collector bar being received within a recess in a cathode block of the cathode of the electrolytic cell; wherein the collector bar comprises a first conductor which electrically connects to the busbar system, the first conductor having an external surface or surfaces which electrically contact the cathode block and at least one second conductor having a lower electrical resistance to the first conductor, the second conductor being positioned on at least one external surface of the first conductor in electrical contact with the first conductor.

Abstract: The combustor (5) of a gas turbine (7) is supplied with coal bed methane (51), oxygen (53) and a part of the flue gas (55), predominantly CO2, produced from the gas turbine (7) and sent through a heat recovery steam generator (27), all under pressure. The heat recovery steam generator (27) receives the hot flue gas and generates steam (57) for driving a steam turbine (29). The other part of the flue gas stream that passes through the heat recovery steam generator (27) is supplied to a suitable underground storage region (3).

Abstract: An electrolytic cell for the production of metal by electrolytic reduction of a metal bearing material dissolved in a molten salt bath, the cell including a shell, and a lining on the interior of the shell, the lining including a bottom cathode lining and a side wall lining including a plurality of fluid ducts positioned against the interior surface of the shell for conducting fluid there through, the fluid ducts extending along the sides of the shell, and communicating with pump means to flow fluid through the fluid ducts.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for generating power in a power plant with no CO2 emissions are disclosed. The method comprises separating coal bed methane and water extracted from an underground deposit, using the coal bed methane as a source of energy for operating a gas turbine and ultimately generating electricity, in a power plant and using the water in the power plant, for example in a cooling water circuit of the power plant. The method includes separately or in combination supplying steam to a combustor of the gas turbine.

Abstract: A method of obtaining a measure of the stickiness of heated particulate solids (40) includes pouring a sample of the particulate solids (40) onto a generally horizontal support (12) and allowing it to freely form its own angle of repose. The sample is subjected to a predetermined heat and gas atmosphere regime, and the support is rotated about a generally horizontal axis to an angle (42) where the integrity of the sample (40) fails. The angular position (42) is a measure of the stickness of the particulate solid (40).

Abstract: A method for determining impedance coefficients of a seismic trace comprises determining reflection coefficients of the seismic trace, for example using a sparse spike inversion, integrating the reflection coefficients with respect to time to obtain impedance coefficients, and filtering the impedance coefficients by applying a low-cut window filter. The window size and/or shape may be defined by a variable parameter which may be either specified by a user or optimized on the basis of a lateral variability parameter calculated for different values of the window parameter.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of extracting resource(s) from a particular location. In particular, the present invention relates to the planning, design and processing related to a mine location in a manner based on enhancing the extraction of material considered of value, relative to the effort and/or time in extracting that material. The present application discloses, amongst other things, a method of and apparatus for determining slope constraints, determining a cluster of material, determining characteristics of a selected portion of material, analysing a selected volume of material, propagating dusters, forming clusters, mine design, aggregation of blocks into collections or clusters, splitting of waste and ore in clumps, determining a selected group of blocks to be mined, clump ordering and identifying clusters for pushback design.

Abstract: A sulfate process for producing titania from a titaniferous material is disclosed. The process includes leaching the titaniferous material and producing a leach liquor, separating titanyl sulfate from leach liquor, hydrolysis of the extracted titanyl sulfate, and thereafter calcining the solid phase produced in the hydrolysis step. The process is characterised by controlling the hydrolysis step and forming a selected particle size distribution of hydrated titanium oxides from titanyl sulfate.

Abstract: A sulfate process for producing titania from a titaniferous material is disclosed. The process includes leaching the titaniferous material and producing a leach liquor, separating titanyl sulfate from leach liquor, hydrolysis of the extracted titanyl sulfate, and thereafter calcining the solid phase produced in the hydrolysis step. The process is characterized by multiple stage leaching of the titaniferous material.

Abstract: A process for electrochemically reducing a metal oxide, such as titania, in a solid state in an electrochemical cell that includes a bath of molten electrolyte, a cathode, and an anode, which process includes the steps of: a) applying a cell potential across the anode and the cathode that is capable of electrochemically reducing the metal oxide supplied to the molten electrolyte bath, b) continuously or semi-continuously feeding the metal oxide in powder and/or pellet form into the molten electrolyte bath, c) transporting the powders and/or pellets along a path within the molten electrolyte bath and reducing the metal oxide as the metal oxide powders and/or pellets move along the path, and d) continuously or semi-continuously removing metal from the molten electrolyte bath. Also disclosed and claims is an electrochemical cell for carrying out this process.