Welcome!

I am pleased to be the moderator of this Forum on Sampling and Statistics. I am a consultant, a lecturer and an author with more than thirty years of experience in sampling and weighing of coals, industrial minerals, mineral concentrates, ores, and other bulk materials. I participate in the activities of various ISO Technical Committees on the sampling of coals and concentrates, and the applications of statistical methods.

Much of my work is based on Visman's sampling theory (1947, 1962, 1969). Gy's sampling theory and Visman's are compared in 'Sampling and Weighing of Bulk Solids' (1984), and in 'Sampling in Mineral Processing', which is posted under 'Reviewed papers' at http://geostatscam.com.

I devised and evaluated the interleaving sampling protocol to obtain reliable precision estimates at the lowest possible cost. Several ISO Technical Committees have incorporated this sampling protocol in applicable standards. My conceptual design of a mechanical sampling system for cathode copper is also based on interleaving samples. My observation that a pair of belt scales in series gives unbised precision estimates for measured wet masses has been implemented in practice.

I used analysis of variance to unravel the salting scam at Bre-X's Busang property several months before the boss salter jumped into the Kalimantan jungle. It was geostatistical software that converted bogus grades and barren rock into the largest phantom gold resource the world has never seen. Geostatistics is a scientific fraud because it beats randomness by kriging and rigging the rules of classical statistics.

The purpose of this Forum is to advance scientifically sound sampling practices and statistical methods for the benefit of those entrusted with risk analysis and loss control in the international commodity trade, and with material balances and quality and grade control at mines, mineral processing plants, smelters, refineries and power plants.

Jan W Merks

Moderator ■

I'm looking for European deliverers of automatic sampling systems ( or equipment for it ) for raw lignite in flow or rail wagons. ■

Siebtechnik, Mulheim, Germany, pioneered the cross belt sampler and the continuous divider with its adjustable division ratio. Both components are widely used in mechanical sampling systems for solids fuels. A sample collection station that switches between containers such that a pair of interleaving final system samples is taken from each lot makes it possible to compute confidence limits for all quality variables on which the settlement between trading partners is based.

A mechanical probe sampling system is suitable for fine mineral concentrates but a closed agur would be required for lignite in rail wagons. Manual sampling with a properly designed scoop is acceptable when primary samples are taken immediately after a wagon is loaded. ■

Siebtechnik, Mulheim, Germany, pioneered the cross belt sampler and the continuous divider with an adjustable division ratio. Both components are widely used in mechanical sampling systems for solid fuels. A collection station that selects a pair of interleaving final system samples for each lot makes it possible to compute confidence limits for all quality parameters on which settlements between trading partners are based.

A mechanical probe sampling system is suitable for fine mineral concentrates but a closed augur would be required to sample coarse lignite in rail wagons. Manual sampling with properly designed sampling scoops is acceptable when primary samples are taken immediately after a wagon is loaded. ■

Dear Mr. Jan W Merks,

Thank You for useful information of European supplier of sampling systems.

Regards,

Oggy

Sofia, Bulgaria ■

Hi Geostatnube,

It's you again! I prefer to work with Visman's sampling theory because it is based on the additive properties of variances that can be estimated under practical conditions. I do not believe in Gy's sampling constant.

If you want to estimate some statistic in a plume, you’ll have to understand sampling and statistics. Amazon.com may still have bargain copies of Volk’s ‘Applied Statistics for Engineers’. I cannot do more than pointing out that you have much more work to do than complete Statistics 101!

Kind regards,

Jan W Merks ■