Search Documents

By Mehmet F. Taner

"Abstract - "Les Mines Selbaie" is a large, generally low-grade, polymetallic (Zn, Cu, Ag, Au) "giant" volcanic-associated ore deposit in the Harricana-Turgeon belt, which is part of the northern Abitibi Subprovince of Quebec. Economically recoverable mineralization occurred in three zones: the A1 (open pit), A2, and B Zones (underground). The pre-mining resource was 54.9 Mt, including 8 Mt of sub-economic, locally silver-rich massive pyrite. In the Selbaie region, calc-alkaline andesitic volcanics form the "basement." The Brouillan Volcanic Complex formed within an islandarc setting on this regional basement. Evolution of this complex involved the formation of a felsic magma chamber and the development of a large caldera structure over the Brouillan batholith. Second- order linear and sub-parallel faults and rifts developed as a result of back-arc rifting/extension. The edges of these rifts were feeders for linear felsic volcanism (similar to fissural volcanism). During felsic volcanism, the feeder zones acted as conduits for hydrothermal fluids with associated pervasive potassic alteration. The alteration is characterized both vertically and laterally by well-defined quartz, sericite, K-feldspar and/or, locally, biotite halos, to produce a mushroom-shaped morphology. This K-feldspar alteration is not common in most other volcanic-associated ore deposits. Mafic dikes cut all of the geological units and appear to occupy earlier synvolcanic structures. Regional greenschist- assemblage metamorphism and pervasive deformation affect all units. Thrust faults moved part of the Brouillan batholith and basement units over the Mine Sequence. Although there is no relationship between the earlier mineralizing events and these late thrust faults, the thrust faults probably played an important role in location of ore lenses. Three types of mineralization are present: 1) copper-rich veins and hydraulic breccias; 2) disseminated and stringer, low-grade and high volume zinc-copper mineralization; and 3) finely laminated, massive, locally silver-rich pyrite mineralization within structural basins. At the bottom of these basins and at the contact of welded acid tuff (WAT) units, massive pyrite zones are locally enriched in zinc, and contain the possible vestiges of black smoker-like material. The ore metals were probably derived from leached basement andesitic volcanics in a hydrothermal system powered by one or more heat sources within the Brouillan Volcanic Complex. The Selbaie deposits are mainly characterized by: (1) the presence of small volcano-tectonic subsidence basins, which host chemical sediments and volcaniclastic materials; (2) pervasive potassic alteration; (3) locally high-grade silver mineralization (up to 1-2 kg/t Ag); and (4) the presence of random zones of Pb mineralization. The Selbaie deposits can be closely compared with the copper-rich Murgul deposits, which belong to the eastern Pontides metallogenetic province in Turkey. If conventional classification criteria for the volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits (e.g., Noranda, Mattabi types, and recent subsea floor deposits) are taken into account, the Selbaie deposits still exhibit many differences in terms of alteration assemblages, physical volcanology and some styles of mineralization (low-grade and large volume). Consequently, the "Selbaie" deposits belong to a new sub-type of volcanic-associated sulfide deposit, which may be used in future exploration programs."

Jan 1, 2000

By G. B. Hobbs, S. Saimoto, L. Collins

"Plastic yielding and flow in metals is dependent on the microscopic process of simple shear along crystallographic planes and directions known as slip. Thus, by altering the crystallographic direction of the stress axis or placing constraints in the direction of plastic flow, anisotropy of yield strength for the same material is observed. This phenomenon is called texture strengthening. The application of this concept to highly anisotropic crystal structures such as the hexagonal group of titanium and zirconium alloys, the former in missile casing and the latter in nuclear reactor fuel tubing, seems obvious. The outstanding example in cubic structures is the case of deep-drawing steel. The R value, the width strain over the thickness strain during a tensile test, is taken as a measure of texture strengthening. In face-centred cubic structures, texture strengthening has been completely ignored on the basis that materials with R less than one are not amenable to this beneficiation. This study will review two aspects of texture which will lead to strengthening, first the thermal stability of the deformed microstructure, which is dependent on the stress axis, and second, the texture strengthening aspect of fcc metals.A review of recovery and recrystallization in textured aluminum wires, copper and cupro-nickel sheet will be presented with the view of extending these concepts to the manufacture of heat-exchanger tubing. The superior creep properties of specially processed commercial products such as TD-Ni, TD-NiCr and MAR-M200 will be shown to be a manifestation of the same physical phenomena."

Jan 1, 1981

Presentation Outline Introduction Deposit Characteristics Geology Grade, Value and Tonnage Estimates 2006 Advanced Program Drilling Bulk Sampling DMS Test Facility 2006 Exploration Summary

May 1, 2006

By Jürgen Antrekowitsch, Gerardo R. F. Alvear Flores, Mehmet Ayhan, Christoph Zschiesche

Synergies between copper and lead extractive metallurgical processes enable the processing of a broad range of polymetallic materials. However, this complexity also brings some challenges expressed in terms of complex intermediates and final products. For instance, based on the limited solubility of Cu and Ni in crude lead bullion additional phases will appear during the crystallization of the melt. Beyond the need for continuous optimization of metallurgy the control of phase solidification is a further important pillar to achieve a more efficient process by minimizing the amount and cycles of reverts. This paper describes the microscopy study of one of the most relevant intermediate in the Cu and Pb metallurgy, the Cu based alloy and highlights the importance of applying a well-controlled cooling sequence to improve the overall process efficiency. INTRODUCTION One of the key aspects in Aurubis’s 2025 vision is to move towards the implementation of a multi metal recovery strategy. The implementation of this new multi metal vision is supported by the long tradition of the company, founded in 1866 as Norddeutsche Affinerie, and further developed by adopting modern copper smelting and lead smelting technologies for the processing of primary and secondary materials. The combination of these assets have already build the basis for processing of complex materials in the copper and lead circuits implemented in Aurubis’s facilities. The addition of a new smelting facility, will enhance these capabilities. Aurubis current flowsheet combines Cu, Pb and Zn metallurgy. This includes primary smelting of copper concentrate, processing of secondaries (residues, slimes, slags) and recycling materials (scrap, shredder material, e-scrap). These broad range of materials contain not only the mentioned base metals but also a number of minor metals that requires to be properly managed to ensure efficient recoveries and quality of the targeted metals.

Jan 1, 2019

By Youngjib Ham

Understanding energy performance of existing buildings is vital to increasing their efficiency and reducing the overall energy consumptions. This entails facility managers to systematically monitor building energy performance and reliably identify and analyze potential problems. Currently, infrared thermography is widely used as a primary diagnostic tool for the detection of building performance problems. Nonetheless, applications of thermal images for building inspection are mainly restricted to manual and labor-intensive identification and qualitative assessment of heating or cooling loss. Automated identification of potential problems and reliable cost analysis of the associated energy loss can help homeowners to minimize financial risk of retrofits and maximize energy savings. To that end, this paper presents a new automated method for calculating the cost of energy loss for building diagnostics. In the proposed method, first, using a hand-held thermal camera, the auditors collect digital and thermal imagery from the buildings under inspection. Then, using a recently proposed method for Energy Performance Augmented Reality (EPAR) modeling, an actual 3D spatio-thermal model is generated and superimposed with a computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based expected energy performance model. The resulting EPAR model is placed into the method proposed in this paper for cost analysis of the energy loss. Through a new 3D thermal mesh modeling using k-d tree structure and nearest neighborhood searching, performance deviations between these models are automatically calculated. Using a temperature threshold, the areas associated with potential performance problems are detected in the EPAR model and are visualized using a metaphor based on traffic light colors. Then, the actual R-values of the detected areas are measured at the level of 3D points. Based on the measured R-values and the estimated air change rate for the detected air leaks, (1) the heat loss or gain caused either by poor insulation or air infiltration/exfiltration and (2) the associated energy costs are automatically calculated. The proposed method is validated on several locations of existing residential buildings. The preliminary results show the potential of the proposed method for minimizing the inspection time as well as the risk associated with the cost analysis of retrofitting potential building performance problems.

Aug 1, 2013

By L. Kilburn

"A survey of 281 mineral exploration agreements examines the ratios among three ways that may be used to purchase an interest in a mineral property, viz: pay cash, pay shares and make future expenditures on the property.The dollar value of the future expenditures exceeds that of cash or shares by about nine times in most of the 110 agreements that contain cash-expenditure or share-expenditure components. Results suggest that cash and shares are treated about the same in terms of value.Buyers and sellers have opposing priorities for the way that they prefer to purchase a mineral property. These opposing priorities should give rise to a perceived 50:50 balance between cash/share payment and future expenditures to satisfy the idealized situation described by most definitions of fair market value (FMV). This balance between cash/share payments and future expenditures appears to be rationalized in negotiations to a FMV when expenditures are nine times greater than cash and/or payments.On this basis, it is proposed that the FMV of a property may be determined by aggregating the dollar amount of the cash/share payments plus one-ninth the dollar value of future expenditures, as set forth in the respective purchase agreement, and proportionately applying such aggregate to full property value."

Jan 1, 2005

By Fiona Campbell

"Modern history is full of breakthroughs in technology, all striving to increase productivity and efficiency. What are the elements that should be taken into consideration in the design and implementation of modern automation systems in a control room? Both industry and international standards are now demanding that Human Factors be considered as part of the design of control rooms to maximize efficiency and minimize the potential of human error which can lead to downtime and a loss of profit as a result of interruptions in production. As the current workforce ages and the younger generation matures, this is also becoming a key element when planning a control room. New standards are helping to address some of these challenges that are facing the mining industry today. With an increased focus on the operator, an intelligent and ergonomic workspace can both mitigate risk and optimize production. Optimization is money. We will examine how to analyze and implement innovative control room planning to maximize mineral processing production and minimize risks that can impact overall production and profit.INTRODUCTIONIn this day and age, optimization of production in an industrial environment is becoming more and more of a challenge. With ever changing technology as well as other external factors, this can be especially daunting. There are several key elements that may not be immediately obvious when planning a control room design or renovation, most notably the role of the human in this environment. Fatigue, stress, distraction, reaction times and situational awareness are all critical in a 24/7 environment. With the growing need to include human factors when considering and designing an optimal work and production environment, it is becoming even more important to design a control room that can address as many of today’s challenges as possible.The standard definition of the word “optimization” is “an act, process or methodology of making something (as a design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional or effective as possible.” (www.merriam-webster.com). If we apply this to business, what it really means is finding the most cost effective way to achieve the highest level of performance while considering constraints, both external and internal, by maximizing the desired factors and minimizing undesired ones. Sometimes, however, we can get caught up in the day to day processes, without taking a moment to step back and objectively review what it is we need to achieve, and more importantly, the steps that can facilitate our success."

Jan 1, 2016

By L. Kilburn

A survey of 281 mineral exploration agreements examines the ratios among three ways that may be used to purchase an interest in a mineral property, viz: pay cash, pay shams and make future expenditures on the property. The dollar value of the future expenditures exceeds that of cash or shams by about nine times in most of the 110 agreements that contain cash-expenditure or share-expenditure components. Results suggest that cash and shams are treated about the same in terms of value. Buyers and sellers haw opposing priorities for the way that they prefer to purchase a mineral property. These opposing priorities should give rise to a perceived 50:50 balance between cash/share payment and future expenditures to satisfy the idealized situation described by most definitions of fair market value (FMV). This balance between cash/share payments and future expenditures appears to be rationalized in negotiations to a FMV when expenditures are nine times greater than cash and/or payments. On this basis, it is proposed that the FMV of a property may be determined by aggregating the dollar amount of the cash/share payments plus one-ninth the dollar value of future expenditures, as set forth in the respective purchase agreement, and proportionately applying such aggregate to full property value.

Nov 1, 2005

By Alan J. Wianwright

Introduction ??New world-class Upper Devonian porphyry Cu-Au system located in south Mongolia ??6.5 km NNE-trending mineralized corridor ? 4 discrete deposits ??Southern Oyu deposits: Chalcopyrite, deposits: bornite ??Hugo Dummett: Zone: Hypogene chalcocite in addition to chalcopyrite and bornite ??Total resource exceeds ~2 Gt@ >1% Cu, >0.25 g/t Au (0.6% Cu equivalent cut-off) (Ivanhoe Mines press release, 2005)

May 1, 2006

By W. K. Muwais, R. G. Cuddy

"The Lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation contains the bitumen reserves of the Syncrude Mine in northeastern Alberta. This formation comprises sediments deposited sequentially in fluvial, estuarine and marine depositional environments. The Syncrude Base Mine area consists mostly of estuarine sediments, as much of the original marine sediments have been eroded away. These estuarine deposits consist of channel-fill sediments and interchannel tidal flat sediments with the channel-fills comprising most of the orebody.Channel-fills contain, among other lithologies, interbedded sand, silt and clay rich layers that often occur as sequences of inclined beds with dips up to 25 degrees or more. A detailed knowledge of the distribution of these inclined beds, their lithological characteristics and their continuity is very important in assessing the risk of mine highwall instability . Techniques used to identify and characterize adverse structures are reviewed. INTRODUCTIONGeneralThe Syncrude Canada Ltd. oil sand mine is located within the surface mineable portion of the Athabasca Oil Sands area about 40 kilometres north of Fort McMurray in northeastern Alberta, Canada (Fig. I). The company commenced large-scale strip mining of oil sands in June 1977in the area, referred to as the Base Mine, situated in the southeast corner of the company's two lease areas (Fig. 2).The mining method (Fig. 3) utilizes large electric drag lines operating on a single bench with highwall depths up to 60 metres. Feed grade oil sand (= 6 wt.% bitumen) is mined by draglines and windrowed parallel to the highwall crest. Lower grade oil sand « 6 wt. 0J0 bitumen) occurring as waste bands is selectively mined by the draglines and cast back into the mined out pit or placed on the bench and hauled by truck. The windrowed feed is delivered to the extraction plant by a bucket wheel reclaimer and conveyor system. Stripping of Recent, Pleistocene and Cretaceous overburden units is done outside the conveyor systems by mobile equipment. The 4.5 kilometre long mine is split into four quadrants for planning and scheduling purposes, with each quadrant having an individual dragline-bucketwheel-conveyor system.Surface mining of oil sand at Syncrude requires the removal of vast quantites of material. The design of the open pit mine relies heavily on knowledge of the distribution of ore and waste materials, and on the physical characteristics of these materials.The geology of the oil sand below the dragline bench at the Syncrude Mine is complex. Geological, geotechnical and hydrogeological factors play an important role in the design and operation of the mine. This paper describes aspects of the geology that impact on the design and operation of the mine. Some of the methods and procedures adopted by Syncrude to successfully overcome difficulties that the complex geology creates are discussed."

Jan 1, 1989

By D. E. Macdonald

"Approximately 2.0 million tonnes of phosphate rock is imported from the U.S. to Alberta annually and is used in the production of agricultural fertilizers. No phosphate rock is presently mined in Canada, although sources of igneous phosphate have been mined in the past. Sedimentary phosphate rock is found in nine geological units within the Cordilleran Foothills and Front Ranges region of Alberta. The Devonian-Mississippian Exshaw Formation, Permo-Pennsylvanian Rocky Mountain Supergroup, and the Jurassic Fernie Formation have the best potential f or future development. Most of the phosphate rock in Alberta is of low grade and lies within restricted land use areas. The best over-all resource potential lies in the Fernie basin area of southeastern British Columbia, in the Fernie Formation. The possibility of deep phosphate rock deposits in the plains region should be examined.Phosphate rock is mined in Idaho, Utah, Montana and Florida, and is shipped to Canadian fertilizer plants for processing. Raw phosphate rock is acidified, usually with sulphuric acid, by a wet process. Varying amounts of ammonia are added, and the fertilizer is pelletized. Future research, in western Canada, is needed in the beneficiating of low-grade ores and in the area of in situ mining. At the present time, phosphate rock sells for around US$50Itonne, and Alberta fertilizer companies probably pay in the range of C$7D-$85Itonne for U.S. phosphate rock delivered to the plant. Environmental concerns about phosphate rock processing are centred around gypsum tailing ponds, and radioactive wastes.U.S. supplies of phosphate rock are secure until the year 2000; however, by this time, the richer deposits in the U.S. may be exhausted. Alternate deposits, such as the ones in Alberta and British Columbia, might then be considered. Phosphate byproducts, such as uranium, vanadium, fluorine and rare earth elements, may help in making the processing of low-grade Canadian phosphates economically feasible."

Jan 1, 1988

By R. B. Kaunda

One fundamental requirement for surface and underground rock engineering is the ability to characterise the rock mass. An accurate characterisation of the rock mass allows rock engineers to optimize designs safely and economically. A number of classification systems have been developed in the past 50 years to help characterise rock masses such as RMR, Q system, Rmi, and several others. The challenge in developing rock characterisation schemes is often practicality, i.e. creating systems with relatively simple inputs for the everyday practitioner. A second challenge is the degree of subjectivity often inherent in commonly used classification systems. These challenges are especially exacerbated in weak rock or densely jointed rock masses. This paper introduces a new approach to characterise densely jointed rock mass using artificial neural networks and principal component analysis, based on principles commonly used in the geotechnical engineering of rock fills and waste rock dumps. Thirteen input parameters are dimensionally compressed using principal component analysis. Using a global database with more than 100 case histories, an artificial neural network is developed to conduct the rock mass characterisation. The advantage of this approach is less subjectivity as commonly used engineering (quantitative) terms are put to use. A further advantage is that given that the method is site-data dependent, it allows for ‘fine tuning’ of the model for a specific site.

Jan 1, 2015

By G. W. Poling, J. R. Hoffert

"A common practice in preventing gravity-fed tailing pipeline from plugging due to sanding is to add lime at relatively high dosage rates. The lime affects the rheology of the slurry ""vehicle"" which transports the coarser particles in a heterogeneous flow-regime. This paper describes a study of the effect of lime on the critical deposition velocities and friction head losses of Highmont Mining Company's mill tailing. Testwork using an extrusion viscometer was related to the surface chemistry changes brought about by the high lime additions. Lime additions which typically increased the tailing pH from 8.4 to 11.5 reduced the critical deposition velocities from approximately 3.2 to 1.7 m/sec.IntroductionCommon practice, at least in base metal concentrators in British Columbia, is to use high lime additions in tailing slurries when the pipeline becomes partially plugged with sands. Some concentrators, such as the Highmont Mining Co. Ltd. plant, add lime on a continuous basis during low tonnage periods and during startup/shutdown transition s. Although such high lime additions often solve temporary plugging problems, the effect of lime on slurry rheology has not been well understood.Slurry pipelines are designed to transport solids in suspension with a minimum of wear and without particle deposition. These two objectives are in opposition because the velocities required to maintain solid suspension can sometimes cause high head losses in the pipeline, as well as wear problems. Thus, the optimum velocity for a long distance slurry pipeline is in the range that provides just enough turbulence to keep coarse particles in suspension."

Jan 1, 1985

By D. Shishin

Continuous integrated experimental and thermodynamic modelling work is conducted in Pyrometallurgy Innovation Center (PYROSEARCH). The target is to develop a tool, which is capable to predict the compositions of phases, phase equilibria and enthalpy balance for pyrometallugical processes with higher accuracy. All these can be achieved by thermodynamic calculations based on Gibbs energy minimization algorithm. Recent developments made it possible to predict important factors, such as the chemical solubility of Cu in slag as a function of matte grade, temperature, P(SO2), Fe/SiO2 ratio in slag, wt% Al2O3, CaO and MgO in slag. In industrial practice, it is not only chemical solubility, but the overall amount of slag, which affects the recovery of copper and other valuable metals. It will also impact the energy balance. The presence of solids in the slag matrix influences the physical entrainment of matte in slag. Oxygen enrichment which is sometimes used to control the temperature of the furnace, may also affect the volatilization of minor elements into the gas phase. Same is true if additional fuel is used to compensate for heat balance. In other words, all key process parameters mentioned above are interrelated. Present study demonstrates the ways thermodynamic modelling can be used to link those process parameters on the example of copper smelting. INTRODUCTION Research methodology involving integrated thermodynamic modelling and experimental approach has been recently reported by the authors (Shishin, Hayes, & Jak, 2018 Shishin, Hidayat, Jak, Decterov, & Belov, 2016). Present paper reviews the updates and discusses challenges in the development of a large self- consistent thermodynamic database. The database covers the Al-Ca-Cu-Fe-Mg-O-Pb-S-Si-Zn-(Ag, As, Au, Bi, Ni, Sb, Sn) chemical system. The database works in the environment of FactSage software Bale et al., 2016 and related family of products: ChemApp (Petersen & Hack, 2007), ChemSheet and SimuSage. A list of phases, and thermodynamic models is shown in Table 1. For the copper industry, most important phases are Gas, Slag, Spinel and Liquid matte/metal/speiss. Black-colored elements represent the base system, elements in green can be considered as slag modifiers (slagging elements), and elements in red are minor. Ni is highlighted because it was included recently, in 2019, and currently under development. In addition to copper, the database covers the conditions typical for lead and zinc pyrometallurgical extraction. It is developed in consistency with the experimental results for high concentrations of Pb and Zn. Examples of applications in the present study include the thermodynamic analysis of fluxing for an agitated copper reactor to show the effect of Fe/SiO2, and calculations of copper slag cleaning using reductant.

Jan 1, 2019

By Arnfinn F. Prugger, Fritz F. Prugger

"The Saskatchewan potash beds are overlain by a number of water-bearing formations. There are water zones in the footwall as well. These aquifers created difficulties during the construction of shafts to the potash beds at 1()(}() m depth, and they pose a continuous threat to the safe and efficient operation of potash mines in the province.The first shafts to be sunk in Saskatchewan encountered major problems during shaft sinking. Of the 17 potash shafts started in the province, five had major water inflows during shaft sinking or after production startup, and one was abandoned because of water problems. The biggest obstacle encountered during shaft sinking was a poorly consolidated sand-shale-clay-siltstone unit commonly called the Blairmore Formation, which occurs at a depth of about 500 m. The initial problems with shaft sinking were overcome in the 19605by using European methods of freezing and the installation of cast-iron tubbings or a double-steel lining through water bearing horizons.From the start of production in the early 19605, operators have been aware of the ever-present hazard of potential water inflows into mine openings from permeable units in both the hanging wall (carbonates of the Dawson Bay Formation which occur 15 m to 50 m above the mining level) and the footwall (carbonates of the Winnipegosis Formation which occur 50 m to 150m below). This awareness has been reflected in conservative over-all extraction rates and mining layouts specific to local conditions. In spite of this consciousness, a number of water problems have occurred in operating mines. These have resulted in everything from simple increases in expenditure to the shut-down of one mine in 1987.In this paper a history of water problems in the Saskatchewan potash industry is given, followed by a summary of measures that are now commonly used to avoid these problems. A description of each inflow event is given, and the attempt is made to analyze the causes of each occurrence. Based on what was learned f rom each event, suggestions are made to prevent future water inflows into potash mines."

Jan 1, 1991

By G. C. Lipsyy

ALL mineral production? of Can11.da is transported in a mine car at some stage during its extraction. There are as many types and varieties of mine cars as there are of mines. Many of the cars in use were developed in the blacksmith shop. Others were designed by engineers and improved by the mine foremen and the mechanics. Every mine car has the ideas of miner, blacksmith, mechanic, and engineer incorporated in it. Many of these ideas are not generally known. This paper was written to make at least some of this information available to the mining industry. In drawings, tables, and notes, it gives all the important details pertaining to the cars. It .does not recommend any particular type of car for any particular piece of work, nor does it present drawings from which a car can be built. It gives the engineer or master mechanic information on many cars which he can apply to his own particular problems. It is hoped that this information will be of use to mine operators. If a few new ideas are conceived as a result of the paper, the author will feel that the effort of compiling it has been worth while. In order to obtain the data for the preparation of the paper, a questionnaire, copy of which is here reproduced, was sent to all the operating mining companies in Canada. An accompanying letter briefly explained the purpose of the paper and asked for co-operation in furnishing as complete information as possible.

Jan 1, 1945

By R. G. McDonald

"High iron solution concentrations often result in the formation of basic ferric sulfate during the high temperature oxidation of sulfidic materials such as base metal and refractory gold concentrates. Consequently, the “Hot Cure Process” followed by limestone neutralization is required to facilitate subsequent processing and/or disposal of the leach residue. The present paper discusses strategies that can be employed to influence the composition and nature of the high-iron content leach residues produced during pressure leaching.INTRODUCTION Control of iron deportment in hydrometallurgical processing remains a key challenge for a range of reasons. Strategies generally relate to the control of conditions under which iron is optimally rejected (Demopoulos, 2009). Supersaturation provides the driving force for crystallization and this can be controlled by a number of factors that include (1) pH and/or Eh control, (2) the presence of matrix anions and impurities, (3) dilution, (4) complexation and dissociation and (5) manipulation of the rate at which the metal to be precipitated is released to solution. Each of these factors is impacted by temperature. Good control of crystallization is essential to the control of precipitate properties such as the degree of crystallinity, stability, particle size and quality which covers both the extent of impurity uptake and suitability of the precipitate for waste disposal. The quality and properties of iron precipitates in turn can impact downstream processing. It is the aim of this paper to discuss the generation of iron-containing residues produced during the pressure oxidation of sulfidic ores and concentrates and how the nature of these can be controlled to potentially facilitate further processing. A brief overview of several related topics will now be given and include, where relevant, discussion of work undertaken in our laboratories. In addition, brief discussions of selected process options that enable good control of iron rejection will be provided."

Jan 1, 2016

By John Convey

This paper, a follow-up to an earlier study, gives the history of Canadian developments in mineral processing from 1921 to the fall of 1964. It deals extensively with comminution and flotation, and then goes on to cover the fields of gravity concentration, magnetic concentration, cyanidation, the processing of uranium ores, and instrumentation. Several outstanding examples of installations are given. The paper concludes with a discussion of present-day trends in mineral processing. Introduction T HE history of the developments in mineral processing in Canada from its earliest times to 1920 has already been published by one of the authors (1). The present paper is thus a logical follow-up to bring this history to date. From 1834 to 1920, mineral processing in Canada, as elsewhere in the world, was in its formative stage. This, however, prepared the ground for developments that have resulted in a mining empire from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a mining empire which could be said to be almost on par with that in the United States.

Jan 1, 1965

By Egon Berger

"In recent years the trend in underground metal mining has been toward ever increasing blasts (often in excess of 100 000 tonnes per blast). The Canadian mining industry has been in the forefront of these developments (VRM, LBHand cable bolting to stabilize the surrounding rock /avoid dilution).In order to move these large tonnages, efficient loading systems have to be developed. This paper shows the technical and economic implications of various loading scenarios based on a predefined (however typical) stoping layout by:1 . discontinuous loading using scoop trams;2. discontinuous loading using scoop trams in combination with low profile dump trucks;3. continuous loading (based on loading performance/operating costs of the AL-60) in combination with low profile dumptrucks.The cost advantages of production concentration (loading large tonnages from one drawpoint}, made possible by continuous loading as opposed to sea tiered mining (small tonnages), using discontinuous loading in tunnelling will be presented, based on actual results obtained in a decline development project using the A L-60 continuous loader. At as pacing oj150m between turning bays, it was found that continuous loading was out performing discontinuous loading in approximately80% of the overall decline development.Fuel consumption and total cycle times are compared, and a cost assessment is presented.INTRODUCTIONThe subject of this paper deals with the introduction of continuous loading in underground metal mining and single heading tunnelingContinous mining has been widely introduced both in underground and surface coal mining. Mechanized longwall mining, utilizing moveable shield supports in combination with double drum- shearers, has resulted in a tremendous increase of coal production per working face.This has led to very concentrated mining operations. In a typical German coal mine two mechanized longwalls nowadays would produce the same amount of coal as 12 to 15 longwalls in the 1950s. One longwall in a South African coal mine has recently set a world record with 120 000 tonnes of coal in a single month.In underground metal mines-often due to the irregular nature of the ore body and the mining methods used-mining is far less concent rated. Ore is often produced from a large number of stopes and production sections. Sometimes, a substantial amount of ore may be obtained from development in the orebody (40070 at a German base metal mine)."

Jan 1, 1989

By Brendan Parker, Tyron Rees, Steven Hart, Abba Manesh, Ian Mcgaffin

"In September 2009, Newmont began the commissioning of a 3 stage crushing and milling circuit at its Boddington Gold Operation in Western Australia. The Boddington ore has been recognized as one of the hardest and most abrasive ores treated to date and this played a pivotal role in the selection of crushing and HPGR technology for this operation as opposed to the more conventional SABC circuit.This paper will examine the scale up from laboratory to pilot plant and full scale operation of the crushing circuit. There have been many challenges to overcome in the first 18 months of operation; however, the HPGRs have in general met design expectations and performance is expected to improve further with ongoing design changes"

Jan 1, 2012