Abstract In Brazil, 65% of the electric power production comes from hydroelectric power plants (HPPs). In some cases, these power plants divert the course of rivers, resulting in regions impacted by the absence of water, which are known as reduced fow sections (RFS). These sections are regulated by legislation and aim to maintain the minimum fow necessary to preserve the fauna, flora, fish, and human consumption in the region. Depending on the time of year, this minimum flow, also known as ecological flow (residual flow), can reach significant values, resulting in the interruption of power generation in these HPPs. This article presents a study case of two hydroelectric power plants located in different Brazilian states. The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility of implementing auxiliary generator groups that can operate uninterruptedly at different drop heights while ensuring the preservation of residual flow during low flow periods or taking advantage of the overflow flow by spillways during high flow periods. This auxiliary system would use the same set of structures and transmission systems as the main power plant, minimizing environmental impacts and implementation costs, allowing this solution to be implemented in HPPs that face this type of problem in Brazil. The results obtained indicate that HPPs with larger reservoirs have a greater ability to maintain residual flows with minimal generation loss and that run-of-the-river power plants are the most impacted by the maintenance of residual flow.

Abstract Cornstarch is one of the most used depressants in mineral flotation operations. However, corn is a costly input for the Brazilian mineral industry, since its main destination is to serve the animal and human food market and exports. In this study, sorghum and millet, two cheaper starch sources, were tested in order to reduce the mining dependence on corn. A simplex lattice design mixture {3,4} was used to evaluate the best proportion of corn, millet, and sorghum flours to be used as a pyrochlore depressant in relation to the industrially adopted cornstarch (Stargill 6172 supplied by Cargill). Flotation tests were carried out on a bench scale Denver flotation cell. All tests were performed in triplicate in a single rougher stage. The results found suggest that sorghum flour was a stronger pyrochlore depressant compared to corn and millet flours, with an average Nb2O5 content of 1.72 ± 0.05% and recovery of 80.75 ± 4.10%. These values were close to the ones found with Stargill 6172 (1.32 ± 0.02 and 80.95 ± 1.13%, Nb2O5 content and recovery, respectively), the industrially adopted depressant. The marked price and the easiness in the production of the flour in relation to the extraction of starches makes the sorghum flour a potential pyrochlore depressant, replacing the industrially used cornstarch.

Abstract Recent events involving iron ore tailings dam collapses have emphasized the need for developing alternative ways of depositing tailings. This study aims to evaluate the effects of using three hydroxamates and a sulfosuccinamate as collectors in the direct flotation of iron ore tailings, using a bench flotation. The best result obtained on bench flotation was tested in a pneumatic cell. The sample used in this study (10.8% of Fe) consists of quartz and hematite. The Aero® 6494 Promoter hydroxamate showed the highest selectivity among the analyzed reagents, reaching 64.31% of Fe in the final product of the test with the < 150 µm sample. The possibility of using these reagents as constituents of a mixed collector with dodecylamine was also investigated. In this case, the Aero® 845 Promoter sulfosuccinamate yielded the best results, with 62.84% of Fe and 59.01% of metallurgical recovery of Fe. The synergistic effect between the two reagents might be explained by the stability of the monolayer formed by the intercalation of the ions from the dodecylamine and the Aero® 845 Promoter, which reduces the electrostatic repulsion between ions of the same species This mixed collector was tested in a pneumatic cell. However, it had a lower performance in terms of Fe metallurgical recovery than in a bench-scale cell test, mainly for the finest particles, due to the greater control of the process’s variables in the bench cell.

Abstract In the county of Pedra Lavrada - PB, various mineral occurrences of pegmatite are observed with prominence at Alto Dois Irmãos - PB, where quartz, feldspar and mica are mined. The understanding of mineral constituents is fundamental to define their industrial employment and to implement improvements in the beneficiation process. The proposal of this research is the detailed characterization and proof of that part of the ore (quartz) considered waste, presenting low poisoning (Fe2O3) and high silica (SiO2) content, to enable its industrial use. Besides that, to minimize the environmental impact through the reuse of this waste, and to determine the correct utilization of the milling equipment. For the pegmatite characterization, done were density determination tests, mineralogical identification by X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical analysis by fluorescents X-rays and morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS). Then tests were done for the Work Index (WI) calculous and consequently the empirical determination of the dimensions (LxD) of the pebble mill. The sterile presented a medium density of 2.66g/cm³, majority chemical composition of silicon and oxygen and quartz as the main mineralogical stage, indicating that this material has high purity. The. The Work Index (WI) was 15.9 kwh/t showing that this material can be considered resistant to breaking in the grinding process. The necessary energy to the milling was defined in 11.52 kwh/st, that corresponds to 57.28 HP. This power allowed the mill selection with diammeter and length of 1.83m, that provides the production maximization and the energy saving.

Abstract This article presents a formulation for the optimization problem that minimizes the CO2 emission of pile caps with variations of geometry and pile position. The problem is defined by the design variables: concrete pile cap dimensions, rebar ratio, concrete compressive strength, the number of piles, the diameter, and length. The environmental impact was chosen as the objective function, taking CO2 emission as the main parameter. The design procedure was based on the ABNT NBR 6118:2014 (2014), and by the formulation proposed by Blévot & Frémy (1967). Also, the soil structure interaction between the cap and the piles was considered in the optimization problem. The problem was implemented using MATLAB (2016) and solved via a Genetic Algorithm native to the program. Results obtained from numerical examples were compared with structural designs solutions located in the Grande Vitória metropolitan area, Espírito Santo, Brazil and validated with a commercial software. The analyses indicate that design optimizations of pile caps considering the compressive strength of concrete, the diameter and length of piles and the optimal geometry of the pile caps may lead to significant reductions of material consumption, and consequently, a reduction of environmental impacts.

Abstract A kitagohaite grain, measuring approximately 1.0 mm, was retrieved from an alluvial gold gravity concentrate from the southeastern Quadrilátero Ferrífero (QFe), Mariana, Brazil. The grain exhibits a cubic structure, whitish-steel-gray, and has a metallic luster. It is composed of Wt. 94.42% Pt and 5.56% Cu (n=9), yielding the empirical formula Pt6.78Cu1.22. This groundbreaking discovery marks the first documented occurrence of kitagohaite in South America. This hydrothermal deposition of kitagohaite indicates that its mineralization is constrained to temperatures <500º C, as inferred by the stability of synthetic Pt7Cu.

Abstract A continuous increase in levels of atmospheric pollution and emission restrictions has forced scientists and engineers to adopt new strategies to improve and develop internal combustion engines. One strategy is based on the development of new simulation methodologies using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) techniques, proposed in the present article. In this study,the dynamic loop methodology with ANSYS Fluent code is proposed to perform the numerical simulation ofa four-stroke spark ignition engine. The complexity of the real case was first simplified with three-dimensional CAD geometry, which was then discretized in ANSYS Meshing, whereby a hybrid mesh was created using prismatic and tetrahedral elements. Simulations for in-cylinder analyses were performed in cold flow and employing common flow parameters, such as swirl and tumble. The mesh quality results were classified as good or excellent, being higher than 0.79 for orthogonal quality criteria and lower than 0.36 for skewness criteria. Turbulent effects were introduced concerning the opening and closing of the valves. It was found that the turbulence increases during the intake stroke up to 90°, and during the power stroke, wherein the of the piston bowl, had a great contributionthat can be seen from the swirl and tumble profile for the engine cycle. In the case of the turbulence intensity, a sharp increase was registered during the admission step up to 90°, at which point the turbulence intensity was 4.0. It canbe concluded that this is an innovative approach, capable of simulating the engine motion profile in cold flow.

Abstract Nowadays, despite the implementation of new wind farms in Brazil, it still is difficult to form partnerships with companies in the sector, which significantly contributes to the gap in information provided by national literature and the lack of knowledge about the mechanical behavior of wind turbines subjected to transient wind effects. Therefore, through a Research and Development Project to optimize and improve modeling in wind systems, the Brazilian electric power company Eletrobras Furnas aims to facilitate the construction of smaller wind turbines to supply energy to regions far from the Brazilian coast that do not have high generation potential due to the incidence of low-speed winds. Two relevant aspects directly linked to the performance of this kind of structures are: (i) determining their natural frequency and (ii) ensuring that this frequency does not coincide with any external vibration frequency that the structure may experience in its lifetime. Wind turbines are complex systems with many degrees of freedom and their own frequencies associated with the respective mode shapes in which they naturally vibrate. These frequencies are inversely related to the mass and directly related to the stiffness of the structure. Thus, through numerical modeling using the Finite Element Method, the present article aims to list some of the main factors that can affect the prediction of the natural frequency of a real-scale wind turbine prototype and to evaluate its dynamic behavior, considering its rotor revolution frequency, its blade passing frequency and the wind characteristics of its operating area. Nowadays Brazil sector effects Therefore lowspeed low speed winds i (i ii (ii lifetime vibrate Thus Method realscale real scale area

Abstract The flotation mechanism of galena with xanthate as the collector is generally explained based on the mixed potential of the pulp, in which an anodic electron transfer reaction from the collector to the mineral is combined with an O2 cathodic reduction. Sodium sulphide, often used as a mineral activator, strongly influences the pulp's mixed potential, and depending on the dosage applied, it can become a galena depressor reagent. In this way, the current study assesses galena flotability in the absence of collector, as well as in the presence of the collector potassium amyl xanthate (PAX) and sodium sulphide. The effect of an extremely cathodic potential was also studied through the addition of hydrogen peroxide. In addition, the effect of different stages in the oxidation of the galena surface on the flotability was investigated. Moreover, the zeta potential was measured and contact angle (wettability) tests were carried out. The contact angle measurements were taken for a distilled water, PAX solution and for a mixture of PAX and sodium sulphide solution on the oxidized and non-oxidized surface of galena. All the results showed that galena could be floated in all the PAX concentrations tested. It was observed that a moderate oxidation in the galena surface may contribute to an improvement of its flotation with PAX. However, extremely anodic and cathodic potentials cause flotability close to zero. The zeta potential results showed that sodium sulphide affected the interaction between PAX and galena. The measurements of the contact angle corroborated the results obtained in the microflotation tests. pulp O reduction activator pulps s applied reagent way (PAX peroxide investigated Moreover wettability (wettability out water nonoxidized non tested However zero

Abstract Among several works, constructions in rock masses are the most complex in engineering, due to many uncertainties of the environment. Tunnel construction is a case in point. A common problem found in tunnel excavations with the use of explosives is the occurrence of overbreak beyond the boundary line of the tunnel. Many researchers worldwide have proposed forecasting techniques based on the use of regression models or machine learning, however, these require many samples and variables, such as the explosive rate and rock mass. Predicting overbreak before blasting is essential in project management, as it can modify parameters of the blasting plan, design, schedule and employee safety. Therefore, this study sought to employ an exponential smoothing model, which could predict the percentage (%) of overbreak in a tunnel section, based solely on the previous overbreak values. This time series methodology has never been used before in tunnel excavations, although it is used in the financial market. The technique was tested in one Brazilian tunnel. The model proved to be very efficient in predicting overbreak in tunnel construction, since it can be adjusted at each advance. The model can be adjusted as a function of α: where α is close to zero, the model prioritizes past events, while for α close to 1, it prioritizes recent events. The best fit occurred with α = 0.9; 0<α<1.

Abstract Linked to important pillars of the Brazilian economy, studies related to mining and the use of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) have been gaining ground in recent years, especially related to the geotechnics of dams and precision agriculture. However, the interdisciplinarity needed to carry out more robust analyses are still lacking in some areas, which brings up good opportunities to be explored. In this sense, the present study combined products obtained through different activities and methodologies, aiming at a solution that provides predictability to the mining dam management process, specifically linked to modeling and obtaining data on solid content in the tailings, arising from the processing of bauxite, based on geoprocessing. The activities necessary to achieve the sought objectives covered, briefly: 2021 tailings sampling campaign carried out in the Plateau Disposal System (RP1), laboratory analyses (humidity), aerial survey with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), geoprocessing for the extraction of luminosity values of images and statistical analysis of dispersion. As a result, it was observed that the increase in the number of drying cracks (highlighted in the images by dark pixels) is directly related to the drying of the waste (increase in the percentage of solids), whose quadratic model presents an excellent relationship between the values of the pixels in the images and percentage of solids from laboratory data, implying a determination coefficient of 91.74%. Furthermore, gains in security, predictability and economy for the processes stand out, when compared to the traditional methods applied, in addition to an excellent potential to be developed in future studies.

Abstract Fluorspar (CaF2) is the most used flux in hot metal desulfurizing mixtures. However, its use can cause refractory wear and environmental contamination, prompting research efforts to develop alternative desulfurizing mixtures. This study aims to investigate the replacement desulfurizing mixtures containing fluorspar by other desulfurizing mixtures containing a new flux developed without fluorspar named MIX. The influence of varying the mass of these desulfurizing mixtures, temperature, and stirring of the system on the efficiency of hot metal desulfurization was also studied. The desulfurization experiments were carried out in an electric resistance furnace, at a temperature of 1370°C. Hot metal samples were taken to measure the change in sulfur content in the experiments. FactSage 8.0 software, was used to determine the phases present in the desulfurizing mixtures, and these phases were correlated with the hot metal desulfurization efficiency. The efficiency of the desulfurizing mixtures was also correlated with the Desulfurization Factor. The results showed that desulfurizing mixtures containing fiuorspar are the most efficient mixtures. However, fluorspar-free desulfurizing mixtures containing MIX can achieve similar efficiencies with increases in mass, temperature, and system stirring. The results also showed that the most efficient desulfurizing mixtures are those with higher percentages of solid CaO and lower percentages of the solid phases 3CaO.SiO2 and CaS and, consequently, a higher Desulfurization Factor.

Abstract The geotechnical monitoring of tailings dams combined with a suitable application of geophysical electrical methods can improve their structure evaluation, allowing several correlations between direct analyses and the resistivity anomaly pattern. Considering this synergy, twenty-three electrical resistivity sections (ERT) were acquired along the beach, abutments, and central part of a dam, totalizing 10,776 m of dataset. After the interpretation of each ERT section, comparing the anomaly ranges with the water level meters measurements, three resistivity zones were defined: Zones of low resistivity (<64 ohm-m), correlated to regions of high humidity; zones of high resistivity (> 357 ohm-m), interpreted as dry zones, and regions with intermediate resistivity values, located between these limits. The groundwater surface generated from the interpretation of the electrical resistivity dataset and the groundwater surface acquired from the water level gauges were almost coincident. On the right abutment, the conductive anomalies showed remarkable continuity, suggesting a high moisture content in this region with strong gradients (200 mV) directed towards the zone of low resistivity values identified in the sections. The analysis showed a robust correlation of the ERT data with localized physical geotechnical measurements, valuable for monitoring dam integrity, overseeing the structure's response to climate and operational changes, and ultimately mitigating the risks of failure. The results of this study support the adoption of a seasonal 4D electrical resistivity survey as an effective tool to monitor and manage surface and high humidity zones, key indicators of dam integrity throughout the entire structure.

Abstract This article aims to compilate stability measurement tests for explosive emulsions (EE), which were developed and used in the last decades. So, it could serve as a stability guide for EEs. The main methodologies to evaluate the condition of the emulsion’s matrix is through microscopy, DLS, viscosity, and rheology, which can preview the stability of a freshly manufactured emulsion within maximum 30 days, since it can undergo physically (centrifugation, compression, and direct contact with water). Thermal tests for (freeze-thaw) can also be performed.