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By David L. Huston, Wouter Bleeker, Bruce E. Taylor, Ron Cook, Bob Stewart, Elizabeth R. Koopman

"Abstract-Detailed oxygen isotope mapping of rhyolites in and around the Kidd Creek mine indicates that the orebodies are associated with relatively low (<12‰) whole rock values that extend up to 200 m laterally from ore. The zone of low d18O values is overlain stratigraphically by a carapace of higher (>13‰) values that extends up to 1.5 km laterally from and 300 m to 500 m above ore. Immediately above the stratigraphically highest orebody this carapace is cut by a zone of lower d18O values extending from the ore zone. Zones of higher d18O values also occur in massive rhyolite bodies that occur in the footwall of the orebodies.The zone of low d18O values partly coincides with a Na2O depletion anomaly associated with hydrothermal alteration, except that the Na2O depletion anomaly has a greater lateral extent, and the low d18O anomaly extends farther into the stratigraphic hanging wall. These data suggest that d18O mapping may detect hanging wall alteration above massive sulfide bodies more effectively than conventional lithogeochemistry. Zones of high d18O values, which define zones through which large quantities of low-temperature hydrothermal fluids have passed, may also have usefulness in exploration.Oxygen isotope variations at Kidd Creek record three stages of a hydrothermal system that evolved in temperature with time, as follows: (1) an early, low-temperature event that produced rocks with high d18O values, (2) a high-temperature event that produced rocks with lower d18O values, and (3) a later, low-temperature event that also produced rocks with high d18O values. The high d18O sig- nature of the massive rhyolite was recorded during early-stage, low-temperature (<200°C) alteration, and was probably preserved owing to decreases in permeability associated with low-temperature silicification. The low d18O signature of cherty breccia and chloritite was recorded during the thermal peak at >300°C. High d18O values in the carapace above the deposit were recorded as the hydrothermal system waned."

Jan 1, 1995

By K. V. Gow, F. A. Jerabek

"THE NOVA SCOTIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE has been granting degrees in mining engineering since 1909. The college was established in 1907 to provide the final two years of the undergraduate program in engineering the earlier years of which are given at several small universities scattered around the Atlantic Provinces. Since the beginning of the program, 251 Bachelor of Engineering degrees have been awarded in mining engineering. Although the average class size has been small, increases in enrolment in the past few years have resulted in Nova Scotia Technical College being the second largest mining department in Canada, based on the number of graduates per year. This year 18 students received B.Eng. degrees, and next year 17 will graduate.In 1968, it was necessary to make a decision on whether or not to abandon, for economic reasons, the program in mining engineering. For several years enrolment had been very low and resignations among the mining engineering staff created a situation in which the program could easily have been dropped. However, it was decided to continue mining engineering, as it was the only such program in the Atlantic Provinces. New staff members with many years of practical experience in the mineral industry, not only in Canada but in the U.S.A., South America, Africa and the U.K., joined our department. At the same time the enrolment in mining engineering began to increase significantly."

Jan 1, 1972

By E. Norton

"Even though the subject of this panel discussion is dust control, rather than dwell on the design aspects of dust collection systems which are well documented in numerous publications, :it was considered more pertinent to the present economics of mining to examine the energy costs involved.At the present time, the facts of shrinking fossil fuel reserves and spiralling fuel costs are being constantly brought to our attention. Industry is being motivated to consider the possibilities of incorporating heat recovery systems in areas where they prove to be economical. Unfortunately, it is not a simple exercise to determine if the installation and operation of heat recovery equipment is feasible and economical. Each process involving heat recovery potential must be thoroughly studied in all aspects.In a paper presented at the 1975 Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in Toronto, Ontario, entitled ""The Influence of Energy Conservation on Concentrator Design"", it was stated that the largest single energy consumer in winter is space heating with the largest portion of this supplied to crushing and screening plants. (1) Within the scope of this panel discussion we will study, as one example, a crushing and screening plant using natural gas heat in the province of British Columbia and we will explore the feasibility and economics of installing air-to-air heat recovery equipment."

Jan 1, 1976

By S. Koppalkar

ABSTRACT: The development and evolution of the gravity recoverable gold (GrG) test procedure at McGill university is reviewed in this paper. Since the late 1980s, the research group led by the late Professor André Robert Laplante at McGill university has undertaken fundamental studies and applied research of the Knelson concentrator to develop a sustainable method of estimating GrG. Historically, a concept of “free gold” was used, and it was de?ned as the gold that could be separated and recovered from gold ore by amalgamation. Due to health and safety hazards, the practical use of amalgamation has declined. around 1994, a methodology using a 3-in Knelson concentrator to measure gravity recoverable gold was established at McGill university. as a result of more than 10 years of improvement and optimization, this technique has become a standard method of evaluating GrG for gold ores, gold plant streams and platinum group metals. By 2006, about 200 GrG tests were carried out at McGill universityon ores from all over the world. recently, a modi?ed version of the GrG test (a simpli?ed test) was developed to provide a quick and rough estimate of the GrG in a sample; this simpli?ed test has theadvantage of reduced mass, processing time and cost. to recognize and honour the contributions madeby the late Professor Laplante towards the establishment of a standard test procedure for assessing gravity recovery potential, the authors propose that the GrG test be named after Laplante.

Jan 1, 2010

By John S. Stevenson

ZEBALLOS is a relatively new mining camp. It is on the west coast of Vancouver island, approximately 195 nautical miles northwestward from Victoria. Previous to 1934, a small amount of placer gold had been recovered from the Zeballos river and tributary creeks. However, it was not until the winter of 1934-35, when shipments of high-grade gold ore were made from the property of the White Star Gold Mines, Limited, that lode gold mining really began. Since then, several new mines and many promising prospects have been found. Milling in standard sized mills only commenced late in 1938, when the 75-ton mill of Privateer Mines, Limited, and the 50-ton mill of Spud Valley Gold Mines, limited, were first turned over. The most striking feature of the camp is the high-grade quality of the ore as usually mined. At one property, the ore along a drift 650 feet long has ranged from 5.8 ounces per ton to 17.5 ounces, over average vein-widths ranging from 8.3 inches to 14.5 inches in selected blocks along the drift. One . high-grade shipment of 196.6 pounds of ore from the same property contained 142.877 ounces of gold. The present paper deals only with that part of the area in which mining operations are most active, namely the main Zeballos River valley and its tributaries, Spud and Goldvalley creeks. During the summer of 1938, prospecting was carried on beyond this circumscribed area. The geology and early developments in the area have been described in the following reports: (1) CLOTHIER, G. A., Annual Report of the British Columbia Minister of Mines, 1929, p. 376; 1930, p. 441; 1932, p. 205; and 1933, pp. 252-254. (2) GuNNING, H. C., Geological Survey of Canada, Summary Report, 1932, Part A-II, pp. 29-50, Zebaltos River Area, Vancouver Island, B.C. (3) STEVENSON, John S., Annual Report of the British Columbia Min-ister of Mines, 1935, pp. F-38-40. ? ( 4) BANCROFT, M. F., Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 204, 1937, Gold-Bearing Deposits on the West Coast of Vancouver Island Between Esperanza Inlet and Alberni Canal. (5) STEVENSON, John S., British Columbia Department of Mines, 1938, Lode-Gold Deposits of the Zeballos Area. (6) MAcDoNNELL, G. F., The Privateer Mine, Zeballos; The Miner, Van-couver, B.C., December, 1938.

Jan 1, 1939

By C. M. Diaz, P. J. Mackey

Since its inception, in 1987, the Copper-Cobre series of conferences has established itself as the prime world forum for discussing advances in copper process metallurgy, in particular copper sulfide smelting, copper recovery by leaching and electrowinning and copper electrorefining. All copper producing countries have actively participated in the pyrometallurgy symposia held in the framework of these conferences. In 1999 and 2003, the close to 100 pyrometallurgy papers that were presented had to be accommodated in two volumes. In the present paper, the authors firstly provide a brief historical sketch of the Copper-Cobre conferences and then focus on providing a retrospective look at the dramatic changes that have taken place in copper smelting in the last few decades, primarily as discussed in the Copper-Cobre and precursor conferences pyrometallurgy proceedings. Topics include: the development of autogenous, increasingly more intensive, environmentally sound and energy efficient smelting processes; significant improvements in Peirce-Smith converting practice and at the same time the commercialization of alternative continuous converting routes; the consequent expansion and modernization of smelters; the increasing compliance with strict government environmental regulations in most copper producing regions of the world; the realignment of the copper smelting industry throughout the world; and trends in copper smelting R&D. A look at the future closes these reflections on the contribution of the Copper-Cobre conferences to the advancement of copper smelting technology.

Jan 1, 2007

By E. Rosseland

Glencore Nikkelverk is operating its Chlorine Leach Process in Kristiansand, Norway, producing nickel, copper and cobalt metals by electrowinning. The copper tankhouse, with an annual capacity of 40 000 tons, is based on traditional technology with copper starting sheets and cast lead anodes. Due to the integration of this copper sulphate process in a nickel chloride refinery, operating conditions are unique. In recent years, operating costs have escalated, and health, safety and environment are top priorities. Test work on a new copper process involving permanent cathodes was therefore initiated in 2007, and a pilot plant was started up in 2012. The objective was to introduce innovative technologies and tailor these to be robust in the Nikkelverk process, to form a basis for a new sustainable copper tankhouse with a high degree of automation. Key learnings from more than 10 years of R&D work is presented, focusing on cathode materials and copper metal deposition including product quality, robotic stripping, coated titanium anodes, electrode contacts and alignment, electrode current monitoring with Hatch HELM tracker technology and acid mist capture using cell hoods with off-gas scrubbing. The new copper tankhouse project was approved in December 2018, and commissioning is planned in 2022. INTRODUCTION The Kristiansand nickel refinery was started up in 1910, processing nickel-copper matte originating from Norwegian mines. It was the first industrial plant in the world to produce nickel by electrolysis using the Hybinette electrorefining process. After roasting to burn off sulphur in the matte, copper was leached and recovered as cathodes by electrowinning with lead anodes. In the first years, the copper cathodes were fire- refined and cast into ingots for sale (Thonstad Sandvik, 2004). The Nikkelverk refinery was acquired by Falconbridge Ltd. in 1929, and since then matte from Sudbury, Canada has been the main feed source. The Hybinette process was in operation until 1975 when conversion to the newly developed Chlorine Leach Process was started (Stensholt, Zachariasen, & Lund, 1986). In this process still used today, nickel and part of the copper in the matte is leached using chlorine gas generated on dimensionally stable anodes in the nickel and cobalt electrowinning tankhouses, as illustrated in Figure 1. The presence of dissolved copper ions in the strong chloride leach solution is essential for effective chlorine absorption and nickel dissolution. To improve copper-nickel separation, slurry from the atmospheric leach is pumped to autoclaves and then to cementation tanks for precipitation of copper as copper sulphide, which is collected in filter presses. The leach residue, also containing the precious metals, goes through a 3-stage wash to remove chlorides before being introduced as a slurry to fluid-bed roasters for sulphur removal. The resulting calcine is then leached in spent electrolyte from the copper electrowinning tankhouse, to dissolve most of the copper and also some nickel, cobalt and other elements. After separation of the leach residue, elements like Bi, Te, As and Ag are removed from the strong copper sulphate solution by reaction with metallic copper in three columns in series filled with cut copper cathodes. The purified solution then passes polishing filters before being mixed with spent electrolyte and returned to the electrowinning cells.

Jan 1, 2019

By Gang Mei, Nengxiong Xu, Yanlin Zhang

After open-pit mining finishes, an iron mine with steeply inclined ore-bodies will generally transform to underground mining. Non-pillar sublevel caving method, with horizontal slice mining from up to down, is commonly used for mining deep ore-bodies under the open-pit bottom. As horizontal slice mining proceeds, a gradually enlarging goaf will be formed under the open-pit bottom, the rocks surrounding the handing and heading sides of the goaf will collapse continuously, and then these results in rock-mass failure with large deformation and displacement in the open-pit slope. Based on FLAC3D, a modeling approach to predict pit slope deformation and failure induced by transitioning open-pit to underground mining is proposed in this paper. This method mainly consists of three procedures of modeling, i.e., mining modeling, landslide modeling, and filling modeling, of which landslide modeling is the core of the proposed approach. In the procedures of modeling with FLAC3D, iteration non-convergence is taken as a local failure criterion of pit slope. When iteration calculation cannot converge, the sliding modeling will start by deleting some elements with large displacements, and finish until convergence. Before modeling landslide, several displacement contours of rock-masses in the pit slope are searched out, and each contour is an approximate possible sliding surface of the open-pit slope. From these contours, the most proper one is selected as the slope sliding surface by using the iteration calculation convergence and minimum element deletion as the judgment condition. Landslide modeling is then realized by removing the elements outside the slope sliding surface. Finally, to demonstrate the effectiveness, the proposed approach is used to simulate the process of open-pit to underground mining at Yanqianshan Iron Mine, and to predict the deformation and failure characteristics of open-pit slope during underground mining. The case study results show that: the prediction of the slope stability determined by using our method is consistent with that calculated by using the limit equilibrium methods.

Jan 1, 2015

By M. D. Scott

"Highland Valley Copper recently installed a semi-mobile in-pit crushing and conveyor system designed to feed both the Bethlehem and Lornex concentrators with a feed averaging 120000 tonnes per day. The system installed with a rated capacity of 12000 tonnes per hour is the highest capacity hard rock semi-mobile crushing and conveying system currently in existence.The system is designed in a manner that the crushers can be moved easily as the pit is developed in depth with conveyors extending deeper into the pit, and conveyors being moved radially from a surge pile located at the rim of the ultimate pit as the pit increases in size laterally.The system consists of two 6000 tph, 60 by 89 Krupp semimobile crushers feeding two moveable 4500 hp, 60 in. conveyors, 1.25 km long feeding a 7500 tonne live storage surge pile. Two 96 in. belt feeders installed in reclaim tunnels under the pile feed two parallel 4500 hp, 60 in. conveyors, 1.25 km long on a 12 per cent uphill grade to the two existing Lornex plant feed conveyors. A third 96 in. belt feeder, under the pile, feeds a 60 in. conveyor, loading trucks hauling crushed ore to the Bethlehem mill.A description will be given: (1) of the system&apos;s design features in which climatic extremes, operating, and maintenance characteristics were of primary importance; (2) of the way the system was constructed from components purchased internationally on an extremely tight construction schedule; and (3) of the way the system has operated during the first few months in operation during which time it demonstrated that it has met various design criteria."

Jan 1, 1988

By T. G. Joseph, M. Welz

ABSTRACT: Joseph (2002) introduced passive seismic monitoring to measure mining equipment performance. This paper evaluates the potential of passive seismic monitoring to correlate mining equipment operation with oil sands surface response, with a mining hauler as the seismic source. When applied to moving haulers, this action–reaction approach is complex. Vibrations from on-board equipment, such as pumps and tires, dirty the signal with noise. To facilitate any correlation, the signal must be cleaned up. Existing geophysical analytical techniques were manipulated to evaluate the noise problem and to filter sufficiently to permit an evaluation of whether a mining equipment action–ground response relationships in fact discernable.

Jan 1, 2011

By G. A. Pinsky, Pickard M. K

"IntroductionTWO METHODS of mucking have been used in sinking C shaft, the five-compartment production shaft of the Yellowknife property of Giant Yellowknife Gold Mines, Limited:(a) Band mucking during the original sinking in 1949 and 1950 (l); and(b) Mechanical mucking with the Cryderman shaft mucker during the recent deepening in 1954.This paper briefly describes the recent deepening and compares the performance figures of the two sinking operations.PlanningProduction planning in 1952 showed that it would be advisable to deepen C shaft in 1954 to provide for three new production levels and the installation of an underground crusher. To complete the required shaft work it would be necessary for a shaft crew to deepen the shaft about 500 feet, to partly excavate three level stations and a crusher station, and to cut a station for the loading pocket. Figure 1, a vertical section of the lower part of the shaft, shows the details of the deepening programme.During the planning period, Giant had a rather small supervisory staff and at the same time was experiencing a heavy labour turnover. As it was obvious that production would suffer if the sinking crew were recruited at the mine, it was decided that the merits of contracting-the shaft sinking to an independent contractor should be investigated."

Jan 1, 1955

By Tatyana Alexandrova

The problem of processing refractory (rebellious) gold ores is important for all the countries involved in recovering precious metals from ores. Technological aspects of processing precious metal ores are examined in two respects: enhancing gold recovery from double refractory ores; and using carbonaceous ores on a production scale. The dispersed carbonaceous matter (DCM) present in concentrates causes the adsorption of [Au(CN)2]- complex on their surface during cyanidation process. Depending on the degree of graphitization and the organic carbon content in DCM (including kerogens and bitumen), the technology used to recover precious metals varies considerably. The problem of processing refractory (rebellious) gold ores is important for all the countries involved in recovering precious metals from ores. Depending on the degree of graphitization and the organic carbon content in DCM (including kerogens and bitumen), the technology used to recover precious metals varies considerably. The possibility of rare metals recovery, including rhenium, from black-shale rocks, has been examined. Comparative assessment of analytical methods of rare metals detecting has been carried out. It has been proved that neutron activation analysis is a promising technique. It has been shown that colloid-salt fraction (nanofraction) with particle size less than 1000 nm makes up to 3 wt% of black shale samples and is extracted by water under special conditions. The use of water instead of chemically active reagents provides insolubility of the mineral matrix and fully reflects the colloid-salt element of the samples. To sum up, the justification of the choice of technology for processing of carbon-bearing ores is based on examining the type of carbonaceous matter and its adsorption behavior. When the content of carbon of high degree of metamorphism is considerable, it is possible to recover platinum group elements and rare elements from this type of ores. The obtained results predetermine the general guidelines for creating new methods and techniques of processing carbonaceous material for integral development of solid minerals in the mining and oilfield areas of Russia.

Jan 1, 2016

By D. J. Parker, G. B. Tupper, I. Govender

Positron-Emission-Particle-Tracking (PEPT) has enabled the non-invasive observation of charge and slurry transport in model mills under operational conditions. We use high quality PEPT data to infer that the charge motion can be effectively described by a non-Newtonian granular fluid. An improved theory for slurry transport, including inertial effects, is presented.

Jan 1, 2012

Presentation Plan Hoist ropes ?Importance ?Mandatory and routine Inspections Continuous monitoring of wire ropes for mine hoisting ?Why a continuous monitoring of mine hoisting ropes.? ?Description of the ??Contiscan?? monitoring system ?Information data gathering Advantages of the ??Contiscan?? monitoring system ?Visual rope inspection on daily basis ?Monthly inspection ?Payload capacity flexibility and potential increase for deep mining operations. ?Periodical inspections by external experts ?Importance of the costs associated with hoisting production shutdowns. Commercialization and availability

Aug 1, 2013

By Witold J. S. Ostrowski

Stabilization of water-bearing sediments by the freezing method for shaft sinking has been used for over 80 years on the European Continent. The real application of this method in Canada started with the development of the potash mines in Saskatchewan during the past fifteen years. The great depth to which it is applied creates a number of problems which have to be seriously considered by engineers in order to produce a safe and economical design. Freezing depth, thickness of the ice wall, number of the freeze holes, capacity of the freezing plant, pre-freezing time, etc., are the most important points which have to be established. Recent field experience in freezing to great depth in the Saskatchewan area is immensely interesting and important for further development of our potash mining and the application of the freezing method.

Jan 1, 1967

By T. Yameogo

Many ideas, tools, technologies, and methodologies are believed to have staked their claims on the future of mining. For example, automation is strongly positioned as the platform within which mining will be practiced. A subset of automation ? intelligent mining ? will add some smart interactions between machines, technologies, the rock, and the environment. The future also calls for an improved approach to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Mines of the future are dreamed of to be more ethical and more balanced. They will boast optimized designs, integrated value and supply chains, produce less waste, recycle and reuse, and will require less energy to operate. Then, what about the people that will operate this optimized ecosystem? How is the education system teaching the operators of the mines of the future? What kind of a future should mining education foresee to prepare the workers appropriately? In recent years, the shortage of skilled labor for mines around the world has created a tough competition to attract, retain, and train the very people without whom mining will cease to exist. In Australia, Canada, and the United States in particular, the war for talent has resulted in higher-than-usual labour costs. Such costs have dented the unit costs of many mining businesses. Concomitantly, mining contractors? and consultants? prices have increased to reflect the escalation of labour costs across the value chain. From labourers to engineers, from juniors to seasoned professionals, the increase in compensation is unprecedented. Yet, the shortage is still hurting the industry, and the high calibre candidates continue to be rare gems. The industry has been implementing aggressive solutions that include the increased hiring of skilled immigrants, the training and recruitment of minorities, and the retaining of near-retirement experienced employees. Public relation campaigns about the benefits of embracing careers in mining are also common. The CIM has also devoted a ?M4S? section to its pan-Canada meetings to educate the public, especially the youth, about the importance of the mining industry for Canada. Moreover, mining associations and universities are enticing students? enrolment through scholarships and financial support. Still, the balance between quantity and quality of workers can be discussed. This paper intends to discuss the present state of mining education as an essential part of the future of mining. The authors brush the picture of the education of miners, technicians, and engineers, against the backdrop of the technology-advanced mines of the future.

Aug 1, 2013

By Zhigao Xu, Ruan Chi, Zhenyue Zhang, Yaoyang Ruan, Zhengyan He

Weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ore is a specific rare earth resource in China that is rich in middle and heavy rare earths. From surface to bottom, the weathered crust elution-deposit rare earth ores can be divided into humic layer, completely weathered layer, partly weathered layer, and bedrock. The exchangeable rare earth ions mainly exist in the completely weathered layer and partly weathered layer, and the exchangeable aluminum ions mainly exist in the humic layer. A novel solution injection method for use in the in-situ leaching technology of weathered crust elution-deposit rare earth ores was put forward based on the different distributions of RE3+ and Al3+ in the four layers. Avoiding the humic layer, only the completely weathered layer and partly weathered layer were leached by controlling the height of the leaching solution liquid level. In this way aluminum, the primary impurity in the RE leaching solution, can be decreased and the purity of the RE product can be improved. Meanwhile, the choices of available leaching reagents were broadened and the possibility of landslide disasters could be reduced.

Jan 1, 2014

By Magdy Ibrahim

This paper presents experimental design and development of a low-cost remote sensing hardware designed to support automated site data acquisition for near real-time progress reporting of construction operations. The developed hardware utilizes open source microcontroller equipped with multiple sensors that include 3D accelerometer, GPS, Data logger and Bluetooth. The use of open source microcontroller makes the developed design cost effective; freeing it from the need for costly license fees. Its platform configuration is flexible; enabling the addition of temperature, weight and other sensors, Wi-Fi and Xbee capabilities to suit individual field applications. Pilot tests have been carried out in laboratory and outdoor environments. The results prove effectiveness and robustness of the developed configuration. The paper provides description of the individual components used in the development of this prototype hardware. It also describes the technical characteristics, capabilities and limitations of the developed hardware. The findings of comparison with alternative technologies used for outdoor tracking of construction operations are presented. The comparison is carried out with respect to range, cost and suitability for outdoor environment. The developed hardware is expected to support a wide range of applications including tracking of earthmoving operations, highway construction and onsite resources. As well, it is expected to enhance safety on construction jobsites.

Aug 1, 2013

By Anton Gronningsater

MR. J. R. GORDON: The authors are to be congratulated for their excellent papers on Copper-Nickel Matte Converting. Mr. Drummond&apos;s paper contains the results of a thorough and exhaustive study of a series of converter charges. Mr. Gronningsater has presented convincing arguments in favour of his claim that the converter has been neglected as a smelting machine for ore. Some of us may not be inclined to agree with his conclusions. Converting, like most metallurgical operations, is a compromise between an ideal and a practical operation. If it were possible for one to neglect entirely the matter of converter linings, I believe we would all agree that the proper flux for matte in a converter would be pure quartz. Under such ideal conditions, one would, if proper temperature were maintained, make the smallest quantity of slag containing a minimum of magnetite. Converter slags are notorious for their high metal content and must always be subjected to a further cleaning treatment before being discarded. For that reason, the tonnage of converter slag produced should be minimized. If norite is used as a converter flux, then the tonnage of converter slag would be greatly increased if the silica content is maintained at 27 per cent or higher. I cannot agree with Mr. Gronningsater&apos;s suggestion that, in con¬sidering a converter flux, the sum of the silica, alumina, alkaline-earths, and alkalis should be considered as being of value. The alkalis and alkaline-earth contents of the flux will replace iron in the silicates formed and tend to increase the viscosity of the slags. However, if the converter is to be used as a smelting machine, it will be necessary to drop the silica content of the converter slag in order to avoid production of excessive slag tonnages.

Jan 1, 1942

By P. Cheung, J. Gulyas, R. Clary

Over the past 50 years, the use of autoclaves in the metallurgical industry has evolved from final metal recovery (hydrogen reduction) and purification (sulphide precipitate oxidation) to treating whole ores and concentrates. Recent process developments, such as the use of autoclaves for laterite leaching, have necessitated higher temperature and pressure operations, which in turn have seen marked advancements in technology and manufacturing capabilities to keep in step with process demands. This paper will discuss the advances in technology in terms of design, materials and construction of autoclaves and liners, typical dip tube design and geometric layout. This paper will also address specific auxiliary equipment, such as acid and steam injection systems, and components, such as agitator seal systems.

Jan 1, 2004