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By Thomas J. Ferree

"IntroductionThe objective of this chapter is to provide important criteria relating to the operation and maintenance of spiral concentrators and Reichert cones, so that optimum performance can be achieved and maintained in a mill circuit. Little space will be devoted to the theory of the forces of separation or the technical details of the devices, as that in(ormation is available from other sources. The discussions in this chapter will be presented in a manner that should be interesting and useful to anyone who may be exposed to these methods of gravity separation. It is most important for the reader to understand that each application of the equipment should be considered on its own merit, as no two suites of minerals respond exactly alike in mineral processing circuits. The information herein should be useful as a guide toward increasing the metallurgical efficiency of the processes, irrespective of the type of minerals being concentrated.It is highly recommended that certain tools be made available to the personnel responsible for metallurgical performance of the spirals and cones; these include a set of standard type laboratory screens, a medium quality petrographic microscope, and a vanning plaque or gold pan. These devices, when used in conjunction with a basic understanding of the mill circuit, provide immediate knowledge on the characteristics of any sample in the mill circuit. The information gained by visual evaluation of sized fractions of products can solve many of the basic problems of mineral beneficiation, and at the same time increase the interest of the non-technical personnel associated with the plant operation. There are many problems associated with obtaining satisfactory performance from a mill operation. Many of the problems have to be solved using a technical approach. Some of the problems, however, can be solved with practical knowledge and common sense. It is hoped this chapter can provide a guide to both techniques."

Jan 1, 1989

By Imre Gombköto, Barnabás Csoke

"Raw material management means not only mining and processing of primary raw materials like ores, but means also collecting and processing secondary sources of raw materials. Recycling is one of the most developing field of raw material management in Europe, and its solutions are derived from mineral processing roots and principals. Complexity and challenges of the field of recycling results innovative solutions of material processing- Since European Union identified 20 raw materials as critical (CRM) due to lack of primary sources within the border of the EU, recycling become more recognised as source of different raw materials. WEEE is the waste streams contains many of the critical elements and along them at least 15 different species of plastics of which recycling is delayed by a lack of effective separation technique. Most paper deals with separation methods based on different specific gravity, triboelectric charge or surface properties of plastic species. Plastics however have differences of thermal properties and thermoplastics, duroplasts and elastomers can be recognised. The experiments described in the paper aimed to determine thermo adhesive behaviour of plastic species often identified in WEEE streams for separation purposes. According to the results, some plastic types as PS, PP. PC or PVC and PET pairs are possible to easily separate from each other, however different additives are changing thermo adhesive properties of most of the plastics that makes industrial process difficult to develop. Along thermo adhesive behaviour, combination of physical interaction can be used to enhance separation selectivity.INTRODUCTIONPlastics has a relatively long term of history as a light, multi-functional material in construction, packaging, automotive industry and electric and electronic products. There are a numerous types of plastic species can be used for various applications therefore they amount are growing from year to year. This quantity however become part of the waste stream and while metal recycling has been done for decades due to its economic value - cheap plastic parts are less desirable as secondary products. In 2013 an annual 5% of plastic production growth has been estimated with a base data of 265 million tonnes at 2010 (Guiqing & Zhenming, 2013). Since landfill requirements are increasing while—especially in Europe where actual regulations are trying to deflect waste from landfills - landfill capacities are decreasing, costs are become more and more expensive, Applications like energy production based on plastics as a fuel or recycling are some of the options can be applied. Direct incineration of plastics are applied at many plants - in most cases where waste consist of dangerous substances are incinerated because plastics high calorific value helps correct average mixture composition enable operators reaching high enough temperature for combined power and heat generation while most of substances—like PAH, PCB or dioxins—are destroyed. Another path is using low temperature reductive cracking due to pyrolysis process, however the chance having higher concentrate of carcinogen substances in the products are higher since it applies around 400°C during the process."

Jan 1, 2016

By B. B. Adhikari, S. Alam, Ohto Kawakita, Abe Pangeni

Effective recovery of gold was investigated by using adsorption gels prepared from pure cellulose, cotton and paper by treating with concentrated sulfuric acid. Only gold was adsorbed with extraordinary high loading capacity from varying concentrations of hydrochloric acid separated from other precious metals and base metals. The formation of fine powders of metallic gold was visually observed, which is attributable to the selective reduction of gold (III) ion to metallic gold clue to its high oxidation-reduction potential. Recovery of gold from the leach liquor of hydrochloric acid of circuit boards from spent mobile phones was attempted using pure cellulose gel.

Jan 1, 2011

By Harry Perry

By 1980, the free world's need for economic sources of energy is expected to double. As a result, there will be a tremendous potential for all energy sources working together to supply the demand. For coal to continue its dominant role as a low-cost energy source, means must be found for it to meet the challenge of nuclear power and to overcome obstacles placed on its use by air and water pollution regulations. As the more limited reserves of gas and oil diminish, economic ways are also required for converting coal to synthetic liquid and gaseous fuels, and to chemicals, thus resulting in optimum utility of the most abundant low-cost fuel resource. The means for accomplishing these ends can only come about by a vigorous research and development program. Successful efforts by industry and government working together, both in America and abroad, will assure the continued use of coal to meet the world's energy demands. This paper discusses the emerging patterns of energy sources throughout the world and the role that research and development on coal will play in supplying future energy requirements.

Jan 1, 1967

By M. M. Holgate

"Porosity neutron deflection scales can be derived more easily by cumulative correlation than by the conventional method of plotting corresponding points on a graph. The micro-log can be used as a porosity datum for the neutron log by transforming the permeability cut-off it shows to a porosity cut-off by a permeability-porosity function obtained from core analysis. Porosity footage values calculated in this manner from the neutron log are within 20 per cent of core analysis values."

Jan 1, 1960

By J. B. McKay

It is the purpose of this paper to present an initial report on the construction and operation of the Fluo-Solid roaster at the property of Campbell Red Lake Mines, Ltd., Balmertown, Ontario. The roaster prepares for subsequent cyanidation the bulk flotation concentrate obtained from four hundred tons per day of gold ore. The mill flow-sheet 'includes jigging and amalgamation; flotation; cyanidation of flotation tailing; and roasting followed by cyanidaition of flotation concentrate plus amalgamation tailing. Overall mill recovery for the year 1950 was 90.2 per cent. Recovery possible by straight cyanidation of this ore would not exceed 80 per cent. The ore contains considerable arsenopyrite and pyrrhotite as well as pyrite, with lesser quantities of nickel, zinc, and copper minerals. The mineralization is for the most part extremely fine. The roaster first went into operation on August 7th, 1949, and at the end of 1950 it had roasted 10,916 tons of concentrate. The average recovery of gold from calcine during that period was 94.86 per cent in the primary stage of calcine cyanidation. The average assay of calcine residue from primary cyanidation for the entire period was 0.37 oz. per ton. Both laboratory tests and plant metallurgical balance calculations indicate a further recovery of approximately 10 per cent of this 0.37 oz. when the calcine residue is again cyanided, in the flotation tailing cyanidation circuit.

Jan 1, 1951

By V. Budinsky

In recent years the global mining industry has addressed its social and environmental responsibilities and numerous factors have contributed to this. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important part of mining company strategy for practical implementation of the goals of sustainability, transparency, accountablity and good relationships with stakeholders:- investors, employees and communities. A key stakeholder for all mining companies is the local community which is affected by the mining operations. Companies must identify the emerging social and environmental trends, study the interests and concerns of various communities, address their needs and maintain a positive relationship. The CSR programmes of Czech coal mining companies are focused on surrounding community initiatives and sustainable responsible business. Mining in the Czech Republic is subject to strict rules and regulations and supervised by the State Mining Authority. Mining projects undergo rigorous approval procedures which encompass all operational measures at the different planning levels ? such as public participation in the authorisation process for mining projects, the application of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, environmental sustainability programmes, innovative solutions and flexible options offered by the mining company. One very important part is the preparation of the mining-technology preconditions and developing the integrated planning process in which all socially and politically relevant subjects in the mining operation surroundings are included. In an in-depth debate, all stakeholders may jointly develop the concept, in accordance with democratic principles. The optimally conducted dialogue process needs broad communication bases, including setting up theme-related joint taskforces, together with good moderation and the highly qualified support of technical experts. Using a case study of Severoceske doly a.s. Chomutov (SD Company) and the Czech Coal Group ? Czech leaders in the extraction of brown coal, this paper aims to examine the community development approaches and the CSR effectiveness of large scale mining companies. This paper brings a review of CSR and other such voluntary initiatives in the mining industry's proactive steps to contribute to societal well-being in a meaningful way. Key studies are provided by the projects ? Region with Better Perspective?, ?Stop Dust for Healthy Brezno Village?, ?Clever Heads for the North? and ?Coal Safari?. CSR issues are managed throughout all stages of the mine operation and beyond, long after the mine closes (e.g. post-closure programmes of new landscape, alternatives for reclamation including generation of lakes in former surface mines, conceptualization of industrial heritage). Communities need to be given the opportunity to help themselves through participation in CSR projects rather than being recipients of financial gifts from the company. A fair balancing of interests is the basis of any successful cooperation.

Aug 1, 2013

By D. Jean Hutchinson, Mark Diederichs

"Cable bolts are an important support component in modern underground mines. If an optimized cable bolt system is to be achieved, it is insufficient to focus on cable bolt layout design or on cable bolt installation in isolation. Cable bolt support, like all engineered systems, requires a holistic approach, encompassing integrated elements of design, implementation and verification. The “Cable bolting Cycle” described in this paper incorporates these components along with related tools and procedures which should be used together to ensure effective and efficient cable bolt support.Design involves the consideration of demand, capacity and constraints as outlined in this paper. The demands imposed on the sup-port system by the rock mass response to excavation under the combined action of stress and gravity must be matched to the capacity of the cable bolt array. The cable bolt system capacity is a function of the component strengths of the steel strand and the bond (load transfer) and by the deformation response and retention characteristics of the system. The design is bounded by operational and economic constraints.Implementation of the cable bolt array can then proceed and must include appropriate protocols of communication, training and quality control, in addition to both general and site specific installation procedures. Implementation will be discussed as the sum of these components.Implementation of the cable bolt array can then proceed and must include appropriate protocols of communication, training and quality control, in addition to both general and site specific installation procedures. Implementation will be discussed as the sum of these components.The information presented in this paper represents a very abbreviated version of much broader concepts, procedures and design charts, presented in a practical cable bolting handbook by Hutchinson and Diederichs (1996)."

Jan 1, 1996

By Hamidreza Soltanzadeh

The injection of CO2 into a reservoir or aquifer can potentially result in deformation, induced fracturing and fault reactivation in the injection zone and/or the rocks that surround it. This paper reviews the data collection and geomechanical analyses performed to assess these potential hazards for the Heartland Area Redwater Project (HARP), in which CO2 sequestration is being considered in a carbonate (Leduc Formation) reef. A three-dimensional mechanical earth model (3D MEM) was developed using available geophysical log data from several wells. The geomechanical response to CO2 injection was studied using a finite element numerical model based on the 3D MEM and pore pressure distributions predicted using a reservoir simulator. The modeling results suggest that the potential for induced fracturing and fault reactivation is low and the maximum predicted ground surface heave is less than 2 cm. Sensitivity analyses conducted with a 2D geomechanical model that was extracted from the 3D model confirm that this conclusion holds true even when a reasonable measure of uncertainty in rock mechanical properties, ambient pore pressures and horizontal stress magnitudes is accounted for.

Jun 1, 2012

By Garston H. Blackwell

For ageing open pit mining operations where the economic viability of another pushback is questionable, mine life can be extended by increasing the wall slope. If the steepening is started where ore intersects the pit wall, the capital outlay for waste stripping is minimal. Such a venture must be conducted safely, and a basic requirement would include loading equipment capable of working remotely. In the application described, alternatives in the choice of loader included equipment available on site, or the purchase and assembly of used equipment. Only electric cable shovels were in use at the operation, and it was thought that these would be more capable of digging high muck piles at the productivity demanded by an increasingly efficient mill, and in a challenging environment less suited to a rubber tired loader or hydraulic front shovel. A decision was made to convert an older electric cable shovel to remote controlled operation and to include the application of semi-robotic control. The conversion was completed successfully and is described, along with methods developed for remote operation of a shovel, and the application of various sensors for semi-robotic operation. A plan of operations to mine out several completed double benches and make two quadruple benches with wide catchment berms is depicted. On completion of this task, the working benches developed would be wide enough to operate at near full production. Prior to moving the remote controlled shovel back into the pit, a large wall instability became active, eventually closing the operation. The instability could have been safely mined using the remote controlled shovel.

Aug 1, 2013

By Alireza Golabchi

The AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) industry is an information intensive industry and all related processes employed during different phases of a project, including planning, designing, building, manufacturing, occupying, and maintenance, involve vast amounts of data that is used for a wide variety of purposes. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a powerful shared knowledge resource which stores this data to support decision making about a facility through all these different phases in its life cycle. Nowadays, BIM is mostly used in the design and construction phases while it can also be highly beneficial beyond those stages. For example, in the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) phase, BIM could be used for automated facilities management or robotic inspection to provide semantic knowledge for navigation. For any implementation not related to the original intent of the BIM (design), organizations need to be able to represent their project data in a common interpretable form, which provides the possibility of an accurate exchange of data among different software products and platforms, known as interoperability. This study has investigated the current state of interoperability between software products used as Building Information Modeling tools. The main focus has been on a popularly used format for BIM models, Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), since it has been specifically developed to enable standardized data exchange. The research methodology involved a comprehensive literature review and the gathering of all fragmented prior research related to the field in order to develop a consistent understanding of the current state of knowledge. This was accompanied with a detailed case study that evaluated and compared two dominant pieces of BIM software, Revit and Bentley, and examined their interoperability strengths and weaknesses while using the IFC format.

Aug 1, 2013

By E. V. Manlapig, M. A. Hampton, M. E. Holuszko

Methanol treatment of ZnS particles has been found to remove slimes and facilitate flotation. The removal of slimes renders the ZnS surface more hydrophobic, resulting in an increase in the hydrophobic attractive force between the particle and bubble. Hallimond tube flotation, induction time measurement and particle-bubble force analysis with the atomic force microscope (AFM) was undertaken to link the beneficial effect of methanol treatment of ZnS particles to their increased floatability.

Jan 1, 2009

By D. Pawelus, J. Butra, R. Debkowski, M. Szpak

Impact of horizontal stresses on stability of underground workings in mines is a very important issue in underground mining. Identification of the initial state of stress in the rock-mass should be one of the main actions taken into account while designing and carrying out the mining activity in underground mines. The paper presents the tests on three dimensional stress pattern in Polish copper mines, owned by KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. Group, carried out in 2012. The research program covered 7 measuring stands in two mines; their average depth was about 1000 m. The main aim was to identify the values and directions of horizontal stresses in order to optimize the extraction and to improve the safety. The overcoring method with the use of CSIRO HI type probe was applied. The paper also describes the measuring technique which was developed for the purpose of specific mining and geological conditions of KGHM mines, taking into consideration the natural hazards encountered there as well as technical and operational capabilities with regard to drilling equipment. The experience gained during the underground measurements and the issue of making such measurements in underground copper mines in Poland are presented in the paper. The stress patterns obtained during the underground measurements are of application importance for the process of designing the spacing of mine workings and improving their stability and mine support selection.

Jan 1, 2015

By J. M. Whatley

"IntroductionFEW COUNTRIES equal Canada in the diversity of its mineral output, the range of size of its mine operations, and the extremes of climatic and topographic conditions under which its mining is carried out. Camps large and small are scattered over thousands of miles, some served by excellent communication lines, many in remote regions of the north. Common to most of the deposits is that they are worked by underground methods, and rely on adequate hoisting installations for the success of their operations.Hoisting in some form •pre-dates all other mechanical operations in mines and the hoist remains one of the most important pieces of equipment at the average mine. It provides the single line of communication along which must pass the men and materials to mine the rock, and in turn carry the ore to a place for refinement.Development of Mine Hoists in CanadaCanadian designed hoists were first built and •placed in operation about the year 1880 and have since developed in pace with the rapid growth of the Canadian mining industry. Early machines were all of the steam or compressed-air driven types, of light construction and driven by two duplex slide-valve open-frame type engines. As their application and size increased, designs became more rugged and more efficient."

Jan 1, 1955

By G. M. Behrend

A group of mining men attending a recent workshop on "Analysis and Control in the Canadian Minerals Industry" issued, among others, the following statement: "Slurry flow measurement is considered to be one of the most inaccurate in the industry. A special program should be launched to encourage development." In response, this paper starts off the program with an investigation of the principles and the conventional practice of slurry flow measurement and identifies weaknesses which cause inaccuracies. Then it follows with descriptions of nonconventional systems in use at various locations and comments on their degree of success. The paper concludes that relatively simple methods, which it describes, can be applied to obtain an accurate slurry flow measurement.

Jan 1, 1973

By Walter I. Nelson

THE geology of the Copper Mountain mine has been ably described by Dr. Victor Dolmage in Memoir 171 of the Geological Survey. Reference is invited to that paper for a more extended description of the geology of the ore deposits than will be given here. The important orebodies of the mine occur in fragmencal volcanic rocks, parallel with and adjacent to the gabbro of the Copper Mountain stock. In the mine area, the contact strikes N.45°W. and dips either vertical or steeply co the southwest. For a distance of 500 feet or more from the contact, the fragmental rocks have been intensely metamorphosed both dynamically and hydrothermally. The dynamic effects are reflected in the foliation and fracturing parallel with the contact, which occurs throughout the mine, and the volcanic rocks within this foliated zone are, in places, highly schistose. Superimposed upon thi.s structure is a system of fine, straight, parallel frac-tures that strike nearly normal to the foliation (and contact) and dip between 65° and 75° to the north; it is with this last-described fracture system that the ore minerals are structurally associated. The fractures are mineralized with bornite and, to a considerably less extent, with chalcopyrite and some pyrite. A notable characteristic is the extreme fineness of the fractures; even in high-grade ore they are rarely larger than pencil lines. The tenor of the ore, therefore, varies directly with the fracture spacing. Replacemcnr of the host-rock between two or more fractures, varying in degree from finely disseminated sulphides to masses of nearly solid bornite up to 18 inches wide and 2 to 3 feet long, is not uncommon in the higher-grade portions of the orebodies. Two structural types of orebody are recognized in local nomenclature: the 'contact' orebodies, so-called because they occur along the contact; and 'outlying' orebodics, which are enclosed in the volcanics. The former arc tabular or lenticular bodies elongated along the strike and dip of the contact. The 'outlying' orebodies are coniform, chimney-like masses roughly elliptical in plan; with depth, their roots plunge at steep angles toward the contact. All of the orebodies are cut by a number of light-coloured granophyre and felsite porphyry dykes. These dykes-the so-called 'mine' dykes -enter the mine area from the north, curve gently southeasterly across the orebodies, and then cross the contact into the gabbro at the south end of the mine. All the dykes dip vertical to steeply east.

Jan 1, 1941

By M. Jayaraman

With the ever increasing demand for commodities, due to changes in lifestyle and increase in population, people are striving to find ways to keep up. Mining is one essential element in the solution. Though being a powerful boost to a country?s economy, mining can have disastrous effects in the absence of waste management practice and technologies; because of the harmful heavy metals and toxic chemical waste that is generated as a by-product in mining operations. It is an established and documented fact that pollution is a major concern for communities having to live with it. Disproportionate water consumption significantly impacts local rivers and ponds thereby reducing freshwater availability and have given rise to social conflict. In light of these misgivings, management and treatment of mine water and waste has gained considerable attention recently. In this paper, we summarize some of the treatment methods that can be adopted by mining companies to reduce their environmental footprint. Appropriate treatment solutions depend on various factors including available space and capital cost for treatment solutions, type of mining waste generated, current state of the mining plant, geographical location, and other location specific issues. Incorporating waste and water management solutions as a priority within mining operations is critical for addressing increasing regulatory requirements and a starting point for initiating other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. Collaboration among mining companies, NGOs, local community, and government facilitates successful projects which build trust leading to long term relationships. In this paper we also talk about the benefits of implementing a CSR project that captures the focus of local communities and allows the mining company to focus on operations. Implementing a sustainable business model that incorporates the broader community impacted by projects will continue to benefit even after the mining company ceases operation in that location. The challenges involved with implementing effective CSR projects, which require measuring and reporting effectiveness to create a positive social, economic, and environmental impact is also presented in this paper.

Aug 1, 2013

By J. Schick, V. Granger

Nowadays, all French former uranium mining sites are remediated and redeveloped. If needed, mining waters containing radium have to be treated before discharged into the environment. Classical radium treatment consists in a (Ba,Ra)SO4 salt precipitation and radium monitoring was carried out using a time-consuming analysis called emanometry. Three zeolite samples have been tested to remove 226Ra from mining water. In batch experiment, radium was totally (R=100%) and quickly removed after 2 minutes contact time. Continuous sorption experiments were carried out through a vertical column at lab scale. Chabazite is the most efficient zeolite with an 226Ra activity below 0.2 Bq/L until 60000 Bed Volume. Chabazite is always efficient although radium content in material reaches 150 Bq/g. 226Ra uptake was also tested at semi-industrial scale on a pilot plant. More than 3000 m3 were successfully treated with a radium content below 0.1 Bq/L. The environmental impact assessment of Ra-chabazite was characterized by using batch leaching tests made according to the NF EN 12457-2 standard as applied on all wastes. Ra-chabazite stability is excellent during this test: radium leaching is very low, less than 0.005%. A new 226Ra measurement method was developed by ICP-MS for a better analysis reactivity. This new method was carried out in a couple of minutes with a lower sample volume than emanometry. The validation was performed according to the French NF T90-210 standard for the calibration function definition, the limit of quantification, the accuracy and the interferences.

Jan 1, 2020

"Bay d'Espoir is in the approximate center of the south coast of Newfoundland. The geology of the area can most conveniently be considered in terms of three units: (1) an Ordovician or older polydeformed terrain termed the Little Passage Gneisses; (2) a Lower-Middle Ordovician volcano-sedimentary sequence assigned to the Baie d'Espoir Group; and (3) granitoid intrusive rocks of mid-Paleozoic age. Mineralizing events accompanied the formation of the latter two units.The Baie d'Espoir Group comprises a dominantly sedimentary sequence of pre-Middle Ordovician shelf and distal turbidite sediments deposited on the eastern margin of Iapetus. A significant volcanic component is, however, present in the Isle Galet Formation, consisting of up to 30% felsic volcanic rocks interbedded with sedimentary and epiclastic rocks. The Isle Galet Formation hosts several disseminated to thinly bedded Pb-Zn-Ag occurrences associated with altered felsic tuff and graphitic shale. They occasionally grade laterally into pyrite iron formation and appear to have been deposited in a very distal volcanic environment. The Isle Galet Formation is a time equivalent of the mineralized pre-Caradocian island-arc sequences of central Newfoundland, but differs from them both in style of volcanism and in the nature of the associated mineral deposits. It is, however, comparable in many respects to mineralized volcanic sequences in the La Poile Bay area of southwestern Newfoundland.Mineralization associated with granitoid rocks in Bay d'Espoir is best developed around the southeast margin of the North Bay Granite, where two-mica leucogranite forms a marginal phase. Numerous minor base metal showings occupy quartz, quartz-carbonate and barite veins in the adjacent sedimentary rocks. Collectively, the showings exhibit a well-developed, zonal pattern around the granite margin; molybdenite (±py, cpy) predominates near the contact, giving way outward to galena (±sph, py, asp, cpy) and eventually to stibnite (±asp, py) at the periphery. Mineralization associated with granites in similar settings elsewhere in southern Newfoundland includes tungsten in the Grey River and Granite Lake areas and molybdenite in the Rencontre Lake area."

Jan 1, 1982

By J. G. Kelly

"IntroductionOver the past twenty-five years of improvements to scooptrams In the Ontario Division of Inco Ltd., records indicate that on average, an 8 yard capacity machine at 80% availability will load, haul and dump about 100TPH from an average stoping area. This, essentially, means that Inco mines are limited to 2000 TPD as an approximate maximum production cap per minute. Some of the improvements made to scooptrams over this period have been:• dry disc and oil immersed brakes on larger loaders;• to replace air over hydraulic systems;• modulated shift transmissions;• greater breakout and tramming capacities by using larger engines and buckets;• operators' compartments have been enlarged and better seats,• joystick controls and air-conditioned cabs have been utilized'• major cost savings have been realized through tire maintenance improvements; and• major savings, safety improvements and increased ore recovery by using remote controls.After reciting the improvements listed above, and the list is by no means exhaustive, it is quite obvious that scooptrams are a mature product and that major design or performance improvements will not occur in the futre. Any futher improvements will be incremental in nature. Loading, hauling, and dumping with scooptrams is a batch process and as such is limited in its total output.Continuous Load/Crush/Convey Systems:In order to improve productivity, a radical new system was required. The target was 2000 tons per shift. In 1984, to meet the goal, Inco acquired the rights to a contiunous loader from Canadian Mine Services. Inco made modifications to the original prototype machine, such as: (I) conversion from rail mounted to crawlers for increased mobility; (2) a hydraulic cooling system was added; (3) flight bars were changed from cast to forged; (4) motor horsepower increased to 200 hp from 150 hp. Emerging from these modifications came a machine known as the CL-looo Oscilloader (Fig. 1).The CL-looo Oscilloader is an electric hydraulic 35-ton machine which is crawler mounted and has a drawbar pull of 30 tons. It has an adjustable frequency, oscillating lip which simulates the digging action of a manual .shovel. This action agitates and lifts the muckpile enough to allow it to settle by gravity onto the chain and flight conveyor table which then removes the ore to the tail end for discharge into either a crusher, a conveyor, a truck, or a combination of these.Late in 1985, six oscilloaders were fabricated and put into Inco mines for field trials. At Creighton Mine some early field trials were conducted with a rail mounted continuous loader loading directly into 140 cu.ft. Granby cars. Much of the field testing was in VRM drawpoints with the Oscilloader loading into 20-ton trucks or into Teletrams . At Levack Mine, by puttmg the truck on remote control, it was possible to have the operator run the Oscilloader and load his own truck (Fig. 2). At McCreedy West Mine, Copper Cliff North Mine, and Copper Cliff South Mine, the Oscilloaders discharged directly into 26-ton trucks."

Jan 1, 1988