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By Randolph R. Dreher, Michael L. Schreder

"In recent years, FFE Minerals has designed, installed and commissioned several large grinding mill circuits. This paper discusses the issues related to the erection and commissioning of large grinding mill circuits. The three circuits discussed are Collahuasi in Chile, Minera Los Pelambres in Chile, and Century Zinc in Australia. These circuits include large SAG and ball mills with both gear and gearless drive arrangements, as well as, both trunnion and shell supported mills. Aspects of these features are discussed with respect to their impact on installation and commissioning. While the normal challenges of mill erection and start-up were experienced, there were also a few unexpected challenges encountered partly due to the large scale of the equipment. An overview of the equipment and design ratings of these circuits is also provided.COLLAHUASIOverviewThe Collahuasi mills were started-up in November of 1998. The site is located in the Andes Mountains at an elevation of 4300 meters. The grinding circuit includes two lines featuring one SAG mill and one ball mill for each line. The circuit features a recycle conveyor around the SAG mills with provision for adding a pebble crusher in the future. The design tonnage of the grinding plant is 60,000 MTPD with an ore BWI of 10.5 kWh/MT.The SAG mills are 32’ x 15’ (1 3’ EGL) with 10,800 HP drives. The drive arrangements are dual pinion through pneumatic clutches. The mills are driven by low speed synchronous motors with CCV variable speed drives. The SAG mills are trunnion supported and use hydrostatic lubrication. Feed to the SAG mills is via a rock-box type feed chute on a cart. The mills discharge on to trommel screens with a bucket wheel to remove the oversize.The ball mills are 22’ x 36.5’ (36’ EGL) with 12,500 HP drives. The drive arrangements are dual pinion through pneumatic clutches. The fixed speed mills are driven by low speed synchronous motors with GE Quadramatic load sharing drives. The ball mills are shell-supported and feature multi-pad bearings with hydrodynamic lubrication. The mills are fed via a rubber lined sump box with feed spout on a cart. The ball mills also discharge on to trommel screens. Twenty-six inch (26”) diameter hydrocyclones are in closed circuit with the ball mills."

Jan 1, 2001

"INTRODUCTIONGold tailings retreatment plants have been operated for many years throughout the world. Several large tailings retreatment facilities have been operated profitably in South Africa since 1976 and there are tailings retreatment operations in Canada currently in production with more in the feasibility stages.The Timmins Gold Tailings Project of ERG Resources Inc. was designed to treat 8,000,000 tonnes per annum of gold tailings for an eight month operating season, and commissioning of the operation began in July 1988. The payback period for this project is about 3 years which corresponds to an IRR of 30%.This report summarizes the metallurgical characteristics of the reclaim tailings, describes the process flowsheet which was developed to enable ERG to economically recover gold from the Timmins area tailings, and reviews commissioning activities."

Jan 1, 1989

By Cindy Schiewek

Industrial injury occurrences are an ongoing concern for Mine Operators. Along with the personal suffering of injured workers comes an increase in compensation and productivity costs. Growing recognition of repetitive stress and bodily injuries, accompanied by recent studies, validates the assumption that a relationship exists between ergonomic injuries and machine design. Intuitively, there is a belief that an ergonomically designed machine will reduce repetitive stress injuries through design and education however; quantifying this belief has been a challenge for Mine Operators. Sandvik Tamrock has undertaken a project aimed at developing a business model to assist in quantifying the benefits of ergonomic intervention. This model focuses on distinguishing and quantifying this method of intervention to allow for a better evaluation of the machine. For simplicity, the project initially focused on the Face Drill Jumbos. The target of the project was three fold: !" Recognition of the cost drivers for compensation; ergonomic injuries !" Identification of the relationship between ergonomic machine design, and the decrease of the negative effects associated with the cost drivers !" Systematic prioritization for ?prevention by design? The project findings substantiate the expected reduction in injuries and compensation claims. Based on all ergonomic intervention studies conducted, each case showed a reduction in compensation cost; through prevention by design, one can reduce the amount of potential risk. The paper addresses the resources and methodology used, along with the findings and its relevance to the issues that face the Mining industry.

May 1, 2003

By X. T. Zeng, X. Z. Ding, W. R. Chen, L. R. Zhao

The effect of deposition defects in metal nitride coatings on erosion behavior is presented. AlCrN, AlTiSiN, TiSiN and TiSiN:MoS2 coatings were fabricated by reactive cathodic arc evaporation and unbalanced magnetron sputtering processes. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation, and the erosion property was assessed by solid particle impingement testing. The erosion characteristics on the coating surface and cross section were analyzed and correlated to the defects, which played an important role by promoting formation of erosion pits.

Jan 1, 2006

By I. M. Gordon

"INTRODUCTIONThe Hollinger tailing disposal plant is situated about 1 1/4 miles south of the mill. The area available for tailing covers 620 acres and is roughly 1 ¼ miles long by ¾ mile wide.Tailing was first deposited on the northeast section of the present site. This section, 1 mile long by ~ mile wide, sloped from northeast to southwest, the slope amounting to 106 feet between the northeast corner and the low land to the south west. The low land was wet and a considerable area was covered with muskeg up to 17 feet deep. It was drained by a creek running across the property in a southwesterly direction. Later, when more ground was needed, the low lying mining claims adjacent to the south and west boundaries were acquired to allow for expansion of the plant. This entailed some extra difficulties and expense that would not have been necessary had the whole of the present site been acquired with the original purchase.At the conclusion of milling, May 7, 1968, the site contains nearly 56 million tons of tailing. The top of the deposit is from 70 to 90 feet above the original low lying ground along the northwest, west and south boundaries."

Jan 1, 1969

By S. G. Hardcastle

The effects of air velocity in promoting cooling through the evaporation of sweat generated when working at a high metabolic rate and/or in hot environments is well known. Many of the environmental heat stress indices consider the effect of air movement directly or indirectly within their determination, be it through the use of a specific instrument i.e. a wet-bulb globe temperature meter or Kata thermometer, or inclusion of in the calculation of a stress index, including the effective temperature, air cooling power, thermal working limit, ISO 7933?s predicted heat strain model. Within these models, ambient air temperature, relative humidity and barometric pressure are also considered in varying degrees to quantify an airstream?s capacity to evaporate sweat. Deep mine studies have shown cumulative increases in heat exhaustion rates with both decreasing air velocity and decreasing air cooling powers. However, despite a capacity to cool, the resultant cooling is very dependant on sweat production and its availability for evaporation; these are included where sweat rates and skin wettedness are considered. The first depends on hydration and physiological factors whereas the second is more an engineering factor related to the degree of clothing required. As sweat rates deteriorate with aging, the benefits of evaporative cooling potential can similarly be expected to be diminished. This paper continues to report upon on-going physiological studies exploring the potential for heat stress in deep underground mines through the simulation of mining activities in environmental chambers and a human calorimeter facility. The focus of this paper is to introduce preliminary data suggesting that increasing air velocity (0.5, 1.5 & 3.0 m/s) is beneficial for young subjects (22 ± 1 yrs), as indicated by lower core and skin temperature measures and heart rate during an intermittent work protocol, and then show a lesser benefit for older subjects (62 ± 2 yrs). Both subject groups performed the same task under the same environmental condition (35°C, 60% RH) wearing a standard mining ensemble. The study similar to others being performed under the Deep Mining Research Consortium funded research continues to provide evidence that a greater understanding of heat management processes is required and that worker education is critical as environmental measures and health and safety regulations may not be expected to include all demographic factors such as age, sex and health which are known to affect human thermoregulatory response.

Aug 1, 2013

By T. Haubold, K. Ortner, T. Jung, D. Roth-Fagaraseanu, C. Mattern

Application of integrally bladed disks (blisks) is of increasing interest in compressors of aero engines. Blisks are preferred due to their potential for size and weight reduction, for increased performance and for reduced manufacturing costs compared to conventionally bladed disks. Erosion of the blisk aerofoils in service reduces engine performance, and can result in short shop visit cycles. This significantly increases the life cycle cost of these components, particular when considering that eroded aerofoils can't be exchanged easily for blisks during refurbishment. Shop visit cycle times can be extended and maintenance costs can be reduced through the application of an effective protective coating. The ongoing development of an erosion resistant coating and deposition process suitable for coating complex blisk geometries is described here. The coating is a multilayered W /TiB2 system exhibiting superior erosion resistance compared to known single- and other multilayer concepts. A modified sputter process is used to enable coating even of blisk geometries with shadowed surface to competitive recurring cost.

Jan 1, 2006

By Niraj Bala

Boiler tubes of coal-fired boilers suffer severe erosion-corrosion (E-C). One method to counteract this problem is by the use of therma, spray protective coatings. Cold spray coating process was used to deposit Ni-20Cr powder on SA 516 (Grade 70) boiler steel. The bare as wel, as the coated steels were subjected to cyclic experimenta, studies, in the superheater zone of a coa, fired boiler. The weight change technique was used to establish kinetics of the erosion-corrosion. XRD, FE-SEM/EDS and X-ray mapping techniques were used to analyse the as-sprayed and corroded specimens.

Jan 1, 2010

By J. Davis, M. G. Reading

"INTRODUCTIONInternational Minerals and Chemical Corporation (Canada) Limited operates two potash mine/refinery complexes near Esterhazy, Saskatchewan. Annual production of approximately 4.2 million tons is sold in the United States and overseas in five grades according to size and quality.Ore grading 25% K2 0 equivalent is mined from a horizontal bed by continuous boring machines, crushed, and hoisted at 8 inches. The refinery operation consists of the eight basic steps shown in Figure 1. Particle sizes handled are similar to those experienced in other forms of mineral beneficiation: 8 inches to 100 mesh. The ore is crystalline and particles are angular. Fortunately the major mineral constituents, sylvite (KCl) and halite (NaCl), demonstrate relatively low hardness at 2 to 2.5.Therefore, while simple abrasion must be acknowledged, it is not a major problem except, of course, in circuits carrying magnetite.Corrosion, as represented by the classic equations of Figure 2, occurs in all its various forms."

Jan 1, 1983

By Paulo F. T. Sachs

ERP systems have been widely implemented nowadays in several industries. However, ERP was originally designed to fit former MRP and MRP II users, and most of the ERP research has been focused on discrete manufacturing . On the other hand, process industries ? and mining in particular ? present many peculiar characteristics, which are difficult to comply with ERP systems standard functionalities. Again, very limited research has been developed covering enterprise management systems in mining. The objective of this paper is to identify, through an explanatory study that includes a case study methodology, how ERP systems manage the functional areas of the mining industry, and how they fit into the mineral value chain IT requirements. A secondary objective is to identify the gaps between ERP?s functional capabilities and the mining industry business requirements, and to point out the perceived benefits they generate to the companies.

May 1, 2004

By William C. Martin

"Consolidated Sudbury Basin Mines Limited owns two mines, 4 miles apart, near the southwest end of Sudbury Basin. The Errington mine lies close to the north boundary of Creighton Township and about 18 miles by car from Sudbury. The Vermilion Lake mine is in Fairbank Township, on the south side of Vermilion Lake.The first discovery of base-metal mineralization within Sudbury basin was made by James Stobie in 1897 at Stobie Falls on the Vermilion River, half a mile west of the Errington mine. A few years later Alphonse Oilier made a discovery of massive pyrite with base-metal sulphides near the west end of the present Errington workings.No work of consequence was done on these discoveries until 1924, when Joseph Errington acquired options on a large acreage of ground which was later taken over by the Treadwell Yukon Company Limited. After considerable diamond drilling this company sank No. 1 shaft in 1926. In the next three years, a large amount of underground development was done, a pilot mill was constructed and operated for two years. All operations ceased in 1931 with the fall in metal prices. While in operation the pilot mill treated 186,172 tons of ore the average grade of which was 1·07 per cent copper; 1 10 per cent lead; 4·60 per cent zinc; 0·03 ounces gold; and 1 70 ounces silver.Up to the time of closing in 193 l there had been completed at the mine 26, 790 feet of lateral work and 75,500 feet of surface and underground diamond drilling. The company records, however, showed no figures on ore reserves, except broken ore in stopes amounting to about 60,000 tons. A study of the plans, prior to reopening the mine in 1952, showed 1,450 lineal feet of ore (at 1952 prices) opened up by drifting on the 300-foot and 500- foot levels. It is clear that no comprehensive picture of the structure was had at this time. The orebodies were considered to be very irregular pods scattered through masses of quartzite-carbonate in a sheared zone about 800 feet wide. In some way the ore was believed to be related to the tuff-slate contact zone. With this picture it was impossible to make a reasonable ore estimate or even gauge the tonnage potentialities with any feeling of reliability."

Jan 1, 1949

By Raphaël Mermillod-Blondin, Claude Bazin

"Sampling is an important step for ore body evaluation and daily plant material balances. The Gy’s equation is regularly used to assess the size of the samples to be collected and to estimate the reproducibility of the collected samples. The equation works well for iron and base metal ores but seems to produce pessimistic estimates of the gold content reproducibility for gold ores. A model is proposed to simulate the division of samples using a standard splitter and discrepancies are observed between the Gy’s equation predictions and simulated samples reproducibility for crushed gold ore. Results of the simulation show that sampling a pile of ore crushed to -2 mm should lead to more reproducible gold content than it is observed in practice and predicted by the Gy’s equation.INTRODUCTION With current gold prices above $1400 per troy ounce operators seek for new economical ore bodies. The metallurgical evaluation of an ore body is one of the numerous steps required to justify the investment for the development of a gold mine. Metallurgical testing requires to sample the ore body and to prepare the ore sample for the grinding and separation tests. The preparation implies crushing the ore usually to less than 2mm and its division into batches of a given weight for subsequent processing. For gold ore testing a batch of crushed ore is ground in a laboratory mill and leached using cyanide. Gold recovered in the solution is used as an indicator of the ore processing amenability. One difficulty associated with ore testing is due to the reproducibility of gold content measurements of the feed sample. According to the Gy’s equation (Gy, 1979; Morisson, 2009) the division of a 20 kg batch of -2 mm ore containing 5 g/t of gold into batches of 1 kg may lead to batches containing 5 ± 5 g/t of gold. For this reason the gold content of a feed sample is usually back calculated from the assays of the solution and solids residues of the leaching process. However, these two assays may contain measurement errors that can propagate through the calculation of the gold recovery. The use of the feed assays as a redundant information could add robustness in the evaluation of ore amenability to processing. This paper discusses the problem of sampling reproducibility for a gold ore. The analysis is carried out with reference to the Gy’s equation for the sampling of particular materials."

Jan 1, 2012

By J. P. Harrison, R. Roostaei

"In this paper we investigate the consequences of using conventional triaxial peak strength criteria in the polyaxial stress conditions that occur around the end of a long circular underground opening. A series of 3d boundary element analyses were performed using Examine3D to determine the stresses induced around the tunnel in different in-situ stress conditions. To discuss the applicability of a triaxial strength criterion in failure prediction, strength factors were computed for both the Ottosen polyaxial strength criterion and the triaxial Hoek-Brown criterion. Assuming that the Ottosen criterion is an accurate indicator of strength factor, the discrepancy from this value due to the Hoek-Brown criterion is the error in prediction.In order to simultaneously show the error in prediction and actual strength factor, a quantitative bivariate colour scheme is used to visualize the results. This allows rapid identification of regions with large error, and where either unsafe or overly conservative conditions occur. We show how the inappropriate use of triaxial criteria rather than polyaxial criteria leads to an under- or over-estimation of strength factor, and can result in uneconomic or unsafe design. Extending the analysis to different in situ stress regimes shows how the in situ stress conditions affect the assessment."

Jan 1, 2015

Abstract - A method to extract certain types of error variance information from paired data is presented, which constitutes an important tool for the calibration of Gy’s formula for variance predictions in the sampling of broken ores. The research summarized here complements publications by others on geochemical precision. The model and method proposed for treating duplicate data provide a practical means of deriving separate estimates of the purely analytical and aliquot sampling variances, from a unique set of duplicate assays, and, hence, proposes a new avenue for estimating effective mineral grain size.

Jan 1, 1998

By Simon C. Dominy, Alwyn E. Annels, Mark A. Noppé

Abstract - Mineral Resources and their subsequent conversion to Ore Reserves are of key importance to mining companies. Their reliable estimation is critical to both the confidence in a feasibility study, and also to the day-to-day operation of a mine. Together with sampling, assaying, geological and other errors introduced during interpretation and estimation, additional errors are likely to be introduced during the application of technical and economic parameters used for conversion of resources to reserves. There is thus a requirement for high-quality interpretation and estimation to be supported by high-quality data. Any company expecting to make sound investment or operational decisions must base this on both relevant and reliable information. An Ore Reserve statement generally contains a single set of grade and tonnage figures without a discussion of the potential inherent errors in these estimates. Some sensitivity studies may be run, but confidence limits are rarely quoted and, if they are, often do not take into account many of the factors that cause uncertainty in the grade and tonnage estimates. Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimates thus carry certain errors leading to uncertainty and risk; some of these are unquantifiable for various reasons, for which the operator should be aware. This paper presents a review of the potential sources of error that might occur during a resource estimation program, which are carried through into the reserve estimate. A number of methods are discussed that allow the estimator to be more transparent about the inherent risks in his/her estimate. Emphasis is placed on data quality, and the requirement for strong quality management to be linked to continuous improvement.

Jan 1, 2002

By Marketa D. Evans

The mining industry has a significant opportunity to capitalize on its past learnings in order to build better social relationships. The industry?s relationship with society is both critical and under pressure. Rising levels of public opposition and social conflict are already having material impacts on operations around the world. Industry has an opportunity to shape the future direction of this social engagement, build public trust and proactively respond to a material risk to operations, but first it needs to better understand the nature of the challenges and the urgency of addressing them.

Aug 1, 2013

By M. D. Evans

"Note: The views expressed herein are those of the author, not of the Government of CanadaThe mining industry has a significant opportunity to capitalize on past learnings to build better social relationships. The industry’s relationship with society is critical and under pressure. Rising levels of public opposition and social conflict are already having material impacts on operations around the world. The industry has an opportunity to shape the future direction of this social engagement, build public trust, and proactively respond to a material risk to operations, but first it needs to better understand the nature of the challenges and the urgency of addressing them.RÉSUMÉ L’industrie minière a actuellement une excellente occasion de tirer profit de ses expériences antérieures pour établir de meilleures relations sociales. Les relations entre l’industrie et la société sont critiques et elles subissent de grandes pressions. L’escalade de l’opposition par le public et les conflits sociaux ont déjà des impacts physiques sur les opérations partout à travers le monde. L’industrie a l’occasion de façonner la future direction de son engagement social, d’accroître la confiance du public et de répondre de manière proactive à un risque matériel aux exploitations, mais elle doit tout d’abord mieux comprendre la nature des défis et l’urgence de les traiter."

Jan 1, 2015

By Walter S. Bergholz, Michael L. Schreder

"Since Escondida began operations in fiscal 1991, a series of aggressive expansion projects have enabled market share to be increased and ever larger profits to be realized. This was possible due to the very large size of the ore body and its high grade - averaging 2.7% copper from startup through fiscal 1997. The situation has now changed: ore grade is falling rapidly and is projected to be only 1.55% by 2003. Since revenue is directly proportional to ore grade, while costs are proportional to quantity of ore processed, profits will begin to fall dramatically. The Phase IV Expansion Project is intended to forestall this drop in profits by increasing ore processing capacity by over 85%.The Phase IV concentrator is designed for a nominal capacity of 110,000 MTPD and the key to achieving this value is through the proper design of the grinding circuit. This paper presents the general design criteria for the grinding circuit, as well as a description of the facility.INTRODUCTIONThe Phase IV Expansion Project consists of a new copper concentrator located 8.5 km south of the existing operations, a new tailings disposal and water reclaim system, a new concentrate slurry pipeline to the coast, and added concentrate handling capacity at the port of Coloso. The new concentrator has a nominal capacity of 110,000 tonnes per day (MTPD), compared to the existing concentrator’s capacity of 127,500 MTPD. The Laguna Seca concentrator is based on using the largest and most efficient ore grinding mills now available.The concentrator has been designed for a 110,000 MTPD nominal capacity. The process design criteria for the Phase IV project were established from in-house operating information and from test work. Unlike a green field project, Escondida already had an operating plant and it processes ore from the same pit that feeds the Phase IV plant. It is expected that the current mineralization will be similar for the first 6 years of operation of the new project. Therefore, some of the current plant operating conditions were incorporated directly into the design criteria."

Jan 1, 2004

By Garry Biles, Ken Major, Raj Anand

"Prime Resources Group Inc. (Prime) commenced the Eskay Creek Mine operations in 1994 in northern British Columbia. The ore from the underground mine is crushed and shipped to smelters in Japan and Canada. The nominal production rate is 300 tonnes per day.Before commencing the above operations, preliminary evaluations for the high grade gold mine had indicated that an extremely complex metallurgical and chemical process flowsheet would be required to recover the economic metals. Subsequent to the metallurgical testing program, Prime identified markets for the untreated ore and initiated underground mining and ore transportation operations.Prime recently identified lower grade ore zones, which are less economic or uneconomic to mine and ship directly to the smelters. Test programs were initiated to evaluate processes for upgrading the ore to a marketable product. In 1997, Prime will complete the engineering and construction of a 150 tonne per day flotation plant to concentrate the gold and silver values for the NEX and 109 zones. The mine will then, in addition to the direct shipping of the shippable ore, ship concentrate from the millable ore. This paper discusses the development and design of the flotation plant.IntroductionThe Eskay Creek Mine is located in north-western British Columbia approximately 83 km north-west of Stewart, B.C. as shown in the location map Figure 1. Access to the site is provided by a restricted access gravel road from Bob Quinn Lake junction of highway 37, a distance of about 59 km. The work force at the mine is based on a two-week rotation schedule. Employees are flown from as far away as Vancouver to Smithers by commercial airlines and then from Smithers to the Bob Quinn airstrip by local charter. During poor weather conditions, transportation to site is by vans that take about six hours to travel the 450 km road distance."

Jan 1, 1998

By Song (Bruce) Li

This paper presents a three-tier web-based GIS application that uses Java Server Page (JSP), Java Servlet and relational database to manage performance monitoring and reporting in the oil sands mining industry. It is a real-time Earth Structure Performance Monitoring System (ESPMS), which allows the user to record and store instrumentation monitoring readings as well as technical observations and instrumentation installation documentations into a complete relational database. The ESPMS introduces the advantages of precise field record keeping, due diligence, security, consistency and completeness while at the same time simplifying the task of reporting. ESPMS combines web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping and data management to facilitate the collection, organization, retrieval, reporting and communication of the vast amounts of monitoring data related to mining and tailings engineering associated with site investigation and construction information. ESPMS utilizes web-based GIS technology to incorporate referenced aerial photographs, Energy, Mines and Resources (EMR) maps or AutoCAD drawings as a base map for the monitoring site. It dynamically creates and administers all instrumentation monitoring locations and reading frequencies. It enables the user to collect and manage the data associated with an unlimited number of reading events. It provides the designer with real-time monitoring data (what, why, when, how), thereby allowing them to make early adjustments to design protocols or procedures, or to take remedial action(s) regarding the subject earth structure under construction or after completion. It provides more cost-effective reporting and data sharing through the Internet. It improves security on data entry and eliminates unauthorized data changes. It allows better integration of graphics and illustrations with numerical data files. It is capable of managing the continually expanding workload resulting from new and larger structures in the oil sands or other mineral mining industries. The ESPMS facilitates easier data gathering for preparation of as-built and after-built or regulatory reports, etc. It enables quick location of the interested instruments and summarization of the performance of the instruments. It enables one to visualize performance data and QA/QC construction test results spatially on any given cross-section. Data can be exported to MS Excel for detailed analysis and to evaluate the stability of the earth structures.

May 1, 2004